If you’ve forgotten New Orleans has a professional basketball team, consider this your wake-up call.The Hornets have become an afterthought in the midst of the Saints pandemonium and black and gold fever of the last few months.Chris Paul’s injury and the lack of a future head coach made the Bees’ 2009-10 campaign a forgetful one, a measly blip on the radar of Big Easy sports fans.But the Hornets have a new coach — former Portland Trailblazers assistant Monty Williams — and that should bring excitement and a fresh feel to the franchise.The new Bees leader is expected to be officially announced Tuesday.Williams’ name doesn’t jump off the page, however.He doesn’t have the local flair and history of winning like Avery Johnson, the former Mavericks coach. He doesn’t have the defensive pedigree of Boston Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau. He doesn’t have the on-air persona of former TNT analyst Mike Fratello or ABC analyst Mark Jackson.But he obviously did enough to stand out from them and the  other three coaches interviewed.Williams, who will become the youngest coach in the NBA at 38, reportedly was offered a three-year deal with a team option in the fourth year to replace Jeff Bower on the Hornets’ bench.They now have a young face to lead a club in need of a jolt of energy.Williams wasn’t the first choice of the team’s front office. Thibodeau was the Hornets’ No. 1 pick, but the defensive guru shunned the team and accepted head coaching responsibilities with the Chicago Bulls.I can’t blame Thibodeau. The Bulls have much more prestige with a deeper history. The current young talent and the potential to sign LeBron James must have weighed on Thibodeau’s mind. Johnson, the frontrunner from the start and the obvious choice with his NBA head coaching resume and New Orleans ties, seemed to lose momentum toward the end of the process.Johnson’s demands to also be the vice president of basketball operations didn’t help his case.Williams has done a great job with the young talent in Portland, but little is known about the Fredericksburg, Va., native. His past influences may be the biggest key into the mind of the new coach.Williams, a former Notre Dame and New York Knicks forward, learned from the likes of Digger Phelps, Pat Riley, Doc Rivers and Jeff Van Gundy as a player.As a coach, Williams was mentored by San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, where he got his coaching start as an intern. He’s been the Trailblazers assistant coach under Nate McMillan since 2005.One of the biggest tasks for Williams is going to be developing a relationship with Paul, the All-Star face of the franchise.Reports have said Paul was a big advocate of Williams, and the new coach already knows his team will win or lose at the hands of the point guard.Williams told The Oregonian he will talk to Paul about how they will work together and find a scheme to fit both of them. That’s a good sign.It’s also important to see how Williams uses and develops sophomores Darren Collison and former LSU star Marcus Thornton.Even though the hiring of Williams answers one looming question for the team, many unknowns still remain.The sale of the team from George Shinn to Gary Chouest is still not finalized. There have been reports Chouest is seeking to solidify a group of minority owners.It’ll also be interesting to see how the Hornets use the No. 11 pick in the June 24 NBA draft.Large contracts will prevent the team from making any huge splashes in the free agent market, but a few moves could be made. Being a fan of the Hornets may not be the sexy choice — often hiding behind the glamour of the Saints and LSU — but the Bees have a new coach, and the fresh start should inspire purple and teal fans.Welcome to the Monty Williams era.Michael Lambert is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from New Orleans.
 
 
 
– – – -Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]