All six teams of  Turlock High School’s basketball program took to the court on Friday night to join the family of John Williams for a pregame ceremony to honor the late coach. Williams, who coached over two decades in a variety of roles for the Bulldogs, passed away from injuries sustained in a three-car accident at the corner of West Christoffersen Parkway and North Kilroy Avenue on Dec. 29.

 The ceremony was nearly two weeks in the making.

 “We’ll have something to properly honor him,” said varsity head coach Doug Cornfoot following their Jan. 5 game against the Lincoln Trojans (Stockton), their first time on the court since Williams’ death.

At Friday’s ceremony, Williams’ wife, Belinda, and his five children, Shea, Johnathan Jr., Jamison, Jordon and Jaydon were presented with a framed collage of photos of Williams, with text at the bottom reading, “Once a Bulldog, Always a Bulldog.”

 Williams, also known as “Big John,” was a longtime assistant for Cornfoot, first coaching together at Delhi. When Cornfoot took the top coaching job in Turlock, Williams followed to serve as a member of his staff from the early-2000s to 2019. In 2019, he took the helm as the Bulldogs’ varsity girls head coach. He served in the position until midway through the 2020-21 season. Since then, he has served as an assistant for both Cornfoot and current girls head coach Erica Hernandez.

 “He was a very special person and great coach,” said Turlock athletic director Mike Brown.