Buzz Williams announced today that Maryland men's basketball has added two seasoned operators: Aki Collins joins as assistant coach and director of player personnel and Greg Young as special assistant to the head coach.
Collins, who fills the final of five bench coaching roles, returns to Williams' circle after working together at Marquette. Over the past 20 years, he's built a résumé that spans college power programs and pro scouting—including Pitt, Memphis, New Mexico, Penn State and a stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder. At Penn State from 2021–23, Collins transitioned the Nittany Lions into the Big Ten's top scoring defense and helped land their highest-ranked recruiting class in school history (2021), followed by a top-30 class in 2022.
Most notably, Collins spent time at Overtime Elite as Head of Recruiting & Retention, where he ran the full gamut, scouting elite high school talent, overseeing player development, and helping athletes decide between pro, college or overseas paths. That hands-on approach in a paid-prep environment, plus his recruiting connections all over the country, could be invaluable to Maryland as NIL and the transfer portal redefine recruiting.
"I've known Coach Aki for a long time," Williams said in a press release. I trust his ability, and character, as much as anyone in this business. He has a history of production in his role and will be a valuable asset to our players and our staff. I am very thankful he is here!"
While Overtime Elite is known for flshy highlights and prep phenoms, Collins sounds like a Williams kind of guy.
"When I took over the job, there was a lot of noise in the public about what exactly we were and what our kids were," Collins said in a 2023 Sports Illustrated profile. "The first thing I wanted to focus on was character. I don't care how good you are — we'll get to the good part — but let's dissect it by starting with the character. A lot of it is toughness. There's a level of toughness that I admire. You can win with character and toughness."
"When I took over the job, there was a lot of noise in the public about what exactly we were and what our kids were," Collins said. "The first thing I wanted to focus on was character. I don't care how good you are — we'll get to the good part — but let's dissect it by starting with the character. A lot of it is toughness. There's a level of toughness that I admire. You can win with character and toughness."
Young brings close to four decades of coaching experience—from juco stops to serving as head coach at UT Arlington and later associate head coach at Troy.
"I've known GY almost my entire life. He was in my wedding. He is an incredible human being. He brings a wealth of wisdom and experience to our staff," said Williams. "He will be leaned on by myself and our coaching staff in many ways and provide a different perspective on the game that is only additive to our program. I am incredibly grateful he is here!"