Buzz Williams on assembling Maryland men's basketball's roster, year one expectations, "winning in between the margins"

Ahmed Ghafir
3 days ago
13 min read

Everything head coach Buzz Williams said as he previewed Maryland men’s basketball’s 2025-26 season:

On assembling a brand-new roster

“Our staff did a really good job with that to be transparent. It's hard to articulate from start to finish. Lukas [Sotell] was on our team and that was prior to the house settlement. And so I met with him a couple of times and said I don't know if you're going to be able to return. It'll depend upon when the House settlement is decided. [Pharrel Payne] and [Solomon Washington] had made a decision to come with us. [Pharrel Payne] played for us one season. Solo had been with us all three seasons of his career. There were two freshmen at Texas A&M who had redshirted that were trying to make a decision if they were going to come here. So within the first four or five days, our staff, who was still in College Station, had an idea that those four guys would come. So we knew we had two guys that had played for us that would be able to play. We knew we had two freshmen that had yet to play but had practiced and at least watched it. And so the other 11, not counting Lukas, it was just an ongoing per hour, per day, does this fit? Are they good enough as people? Are they good enough as players? There's so many more factors now in making decisions than ever before. And transparently in a transition of taking a job, there's other things that are happening. It took ten days for the first staff member to be hired, so there's a little bit of caution and how you handle that. Colleen [Sorem] was the interim AD at that time. And so there were a lot of things, not just recruiting. We had I think 11 games that we needed to schedule from a non-conference standpoint. I was the only employee in the men's basketball office other than Chris Robinson, who did a good job. He had done that. He had been through three men's basketball coaches, so he kind of knew what it was like. So he was very helpful. But it's just each day, do we visit them? Is that a waste of time? Do they have an agent? Is their agent trustworthy? Is their mom involved? Is their dad involved? Who should we talk to? Where are they from? How many schools have they been to? What's important is that who we want to build with, is that how we want to start? Do they fit what we want our program to be about on the floor? Off the floor. Some of this has to do with do you want to have a good team or do you want to have a good program? And when you're starting over from scratch, it's a little different than going into the spring and you need to sign two guys or you need to sign four guys. It somewhat is depending, upon your perspective, is it harder to sign 15, or is it harder to sign five? And it's just an ongoing deal. And with each passing day, the background check of our staff was unfolding. Some of them were getting hired. Some of them were able to get to the hotel that I was staying in. So it's just - there's so many factors and you try to handle each ball in the air the right way respectfully with each family that's represented within those balls and do the best that you can.”

What keeps Buzz Williams coming back to college basketball

“I'm not at that level of a lot of those coaches. I have great relationships with a lot of coaches. Obviously, for the last six years, I saw what transpired with Coach Pearl. Actually the last regular season game that coach coached in, actually we played them. But I completely understand. There's just - somebody asked me earlier, what was I doing 19 years ago as a head coach that translates to what I'm doing now? And it's very, very little. And so the skillset required to coach in college in 2025 is dramatically different than it was in 2006. I think the skill set to be an assistant coach, dramatically different. And so the only reason I want to do it is I still love being around people. I like being on a team. I haven't not been on a team since I was in fourth grade. I'm a little fearful of how I would handle not being on a team. I don't think I have to be the head coach. I've not been the head coach more times than I have been the head coach. So I love kids. I want to try to impact their life, but I'm a little on the other side of I've resigned myself to what the exposure has become, the opinions have become, some of the factors that you can't control. But I still can control loving people. I still can control trying to hold people accountable to being their best and trying to help positively change their life. But I understand moreso than ever that you're judged in accordance with your results. And so I've tried to detach myself from my identity being specific to the results and more specific to the people that hopefully I can have a positive impact on. And I think there's going to be more and more and more of those coaches.”

On realistic expectations for 2025-26

“It's hard to know what our expectations are. We didn't practice today. We practiced yesterday. Yesterday was our 26^th practice and we've had a lot of volatility in those 26 practices. Maybe four to six of those practices have been what I would deem high major good, high major good practices in regards to the work that was accomplished, the efficiency from start to finish. We've had more bad days than we've had good days. But I don't think that those 15 players would say the same thing. Their numbers would probably be inverse. So what we are trying to be consumed with is can we be a little better tomorrow than we were yesterday? But to say like where are we at in the Big Ten and what is the expectation? Our expectation is we need to change our better and get better and then try to focus on improving instead of proving someone else's expectations outside the program.”

On how beneficial boot camp is

“It's a little archaic in regard to how we go about it. We probably spend the first 20 days that we're allowed to work with our team probably in a way that puts us further behind schematically. We probably lose a game or two before Christmas every year that we shouldn't, and we probably win a game or two after Valentine's Day that we shouldn't. And I personally think, not because it's me, I do think some of what takes place in individual workouts, in boot camp, I think that shared suffering creates a commonality of what we want to be about. It's where the leaders begin to learn to lead. It's where the followers learn how to follow better. It's where those that need to use their voice learn how to use it for the first time. And it's where those who learn to listen and listen and execute become important. It doesn't happen very often anymore because you have to try to create this bubble of everybody's going to see this. The managers are going to see this, the trainers are going to see this, the assistant coaches are going to see this. But what happens is, is good people still want to be held accountable. And so within how we measure individuals and Boot Camp, those players have great growth because it's so uncomfortable, because they know we're measuring each component of it. So it's three weeks of we probably should learn out of bounds plays. We probably should put in a zone offense. And then we get to this time three weeks later, and as a coach, we feel way behind strategically, but the group is much closer because of what they went through in those first three weeks.”

On how his team fits into Buzz’s coaching style

“Well, thus far, we don't know. We've tried to adjust in regard to our roster as we learn the leagues each place that we've been. I think all coaches would say, regardless of the league, they want to try to have an identity and how they play. Sometimes that identity becomes a style. Are they going to play motion? Are they going to play zone? Are they going to play fast? Are they going to play slow? I've never tried to be the coach that had a style other than what best fits their team and how can that current team, how can we put them in a position to be as successful as possible? We're probably behind in understanding the Big Ten. It seems like it's an eternity until we play, even though I know it's still going to happen really soon. We just tried to spend as much time investing in our players, their skill, who they are, what we want to be about on and off the floor. And we probably as a staff haven't done a good job. I for sure haven't done a good job of understanding what's upcoming just because I've tried to be consumed and model the behavior I want our players to have in regard to being better today.”

On sensing the pride in University of Maryland, basketball program

“Everybody I've met. That's the first thing they tell me after they tell me their name, when they graduated from here, how many NBA players played on this floor - at Cole Field House [Xfinity Center - how many Hall of Fame coaches they've had here. So anybody I've met, they've all shared their sentiment on what you said.”

Building a relationship with an AD who didn’t hire him

“Dr. Pines was great. And similar to what I said the day I was hired, he was very open and honest about where things were, what had transpired, what he was looking for. That was very appealing. It was just my wife and I in that meeting. Obviously Colleen [Sorem] was there. That was five days, four days I think, before my press conference. And then I think Mr. Smith's first day at work was July the 15th. I met with him twice prior to him being here full time. He was coming back from Atlanta before the [MLB] All-Star game. He's been phenomenal. But similar to his question at the start, Buzz, there wasn't a team, there wasn't a schedule, there wasn't an AD. I don't say any of that in a negative way. Actually, I've tried not to ever say it. I let other people say it. I was aware of it because I was living in it each day, but it's happening at a variety of places, right? That's just kind of what the model suggests. It is an aberration that the President makes the decision, not a search firm, not necessarily the board making the decision. Dr. Pines was very transparent in relation to that. I've been through this a few times. I don't mean that arrogantly, but every situation is going to be different. Is the search firm involved? Is there an agent involved? Is the board or someone on the board making the decision? There's so many factors in that. And Dr. Pines, he was straight up and it's just me and my wife and Colleen and Dr. Pines, so it got real at a very fast rate. But Mr. Smith has been tremendous. And I think the one thing that I've learned from him, from an administrative standpoint, I think it's very difficult to administrate in 2025 because there's so many variables. And he's been very creative and very open in trying to figure out ways for Maryland Athletics to be successful. And I understand men's basketball is a part of that equation but he's very team oriented in regard to all sports being successful and having creativity in regard to that.”

On how the history of the program has influence Buzz’s plan

“I would say a few things specific to Maryland basketball, I think the most impressive thing you can go through multiple coaches. Coach [Lefty] Driesell is deserving of all of the attention. Coach [Gary] Williams is deserving of all the attention, but Coach [Mark] Turgeon was also here for a decade and had a lot of success. And personally, I thought Kevin Willard finished in second place two out of the three years he was here in the Big Ten, I think that's pretty impressive. From a historical standpoint, Maryland basketball has had sustainability, regardless of the coaches. They've hired a lot of elite level coaches that have come from different places and had success prior to their arrival and also had success while they were here. And I think you can say the same about the rosters. Different eras, different players, different styles of play, but very successful. Hence all of the banners. I only view myself as a steward. I don't view myself in relation or comparison to any other coach. I'm fortunate enough to be doing something well beyond anything I dreamed, not just at Maryland, but at any place that I've been. But I am a historian as it relates to coaches because I've always grown up wanting to be a coach but I think it's the sustainability of what Maryland basketball has been for decades.”

On the message of ‘winning in between the margins”

“Excellence is in the margins. I think a lot of times the winning is in the margins, but you'll always find excellence in the margins. And the margins, typically speaking, are the things that are intangible. Were you the first to the floor to a loose ball? Did you block out on a free throw when it's your ball out of bounds under? Were you the first team to huddle? Did your team huddle? When you sprinted to the timeout, did you sprint there? Did you walk there? How many touches, how many high fives did you give is everybody sitting over there mute or are they loud? Are they communicating? Are they saying words that have the impact? We try to measure as much as we can on things that are not in the stat sheet. We believe that those things in the margins impact the stat sheet in a positive way.”

On having four players familiar with the system

“Before it became what it has become, that was frowned upon - to recruit somebody whose money you spent at the last place to recruit them. And there used to be tweets about that. There used to be articles written about stealing our players. And that's just how things have changed. Before I ever signed a memorandum of understanding at Maryland, I went on a walk with those four players that you're mentioning. I talked to the administration at Texas A&M before I ever spoke to the University of Maryland. I know that's kind of old school and how it's done now but you were just talking to me and my wife. It wasn't like there was anybody else to talk to. But this is the fifth time I've taken a head coaching job, but it's the first time I've taken a head coaching job in this era. And it's unlike the other four. And there's many adjectives that I could give you, not that would be in complaining. It's just the rules have changed, and in many respects, we're still playing the same game. But how you get to this game is unlike what it was [in] 2006 at New Orleans, 2008 at Marquette, 2014 at Virginia Tech, 2019 at Texas A&M. That's over. So I've had a first team four other times but I've never not had a team meeting prior to my press conference because there was nobody on the team.”

On how the staff titles were established

“So you can tweet this out. I don't look at social media. So this is my olive branch to the new group. As things begin to change that everybody's talking about, I didn't want to be the coach that was always talking about the change. And I wanted to be the coach that talked about some things stayed the same. People's lives still matter. Treating people the right way still matters. Learning how to work, it still matters. Listening with your eyes still matters. And so almost in a sarcastic way, as the portal and NIL began, we began to think of like the most unique and creative titles possible for all of these Gen Z…so as I began to hire some former players, former GA's, former managers in the millennial Gen Z, the title became very important. And I was like, yeah, any title you want. But let's come up with nobody else can have it. Put it on your business card. We'll make sure HR - of all the things HR is doing now that's an easy thing to change the title. So I mentioned it last night. I don't even look at it anymore. I can tell you how long they've been with us. It's 97 years. I remember how it all started, but I think [Steve Roccaforte] may be the only one that's like just straight up assistant coach. Devin is Associate Head Coach and defensive coordinator, Lyle's offensive coordinator, [Greg Young] has a fancy title, Kayla's Gen Z. I asked Kayla, hey, Kayla, look up whatever you want your title to be and let's add your favorite two together, add a comma. Grant has a normal one. Grants a millennial. He's just Director of Basketball Operations. But he came from the NFL, so he didn't know we were doing this sort of thing. So I think Roc is the only straight up assistant on the staff.”

On emphasizing relationships in the portal era

“We talk about that as a staff a lot. We were among the lowest in the country at the power for level, in relation to transfer rate. We're proud of that. It's not once they arrive wherever they arrive. It's how do you get them there? And that's the complexity of what this has become. But the staff has done a really good job of filtering in that process, of recruiting who fits us. We knew [Pharrel Payne] when he was in high school. We knew Zurich Phelps when he was in high school. Unique story on a lot of those portal guys. But once they get to Maryland, I hope over time, we're the lowest transfer rate in the Big Ten. Because we want our program to be a total development program, not just a basketball development program. So establishing the trust and investing in who they are and who they're going to become once they get here. I think we do a phenomenal job of that. Where all staffs, including us, are trying to figure out is, how do you get the right ones here that fit you long term and that kind of goes to it's not a talent acquisition for us. We understand we have to have talent. It's more so the talent is a part of the decision, but the work ethic and the character and the moral fiber and who they are as a teammate. Do they still want to go to college? Like do they want to get a diploma? Some of that matters to us and that doesn't mean we're right, but the staff is aware of those types of families that I'm most attracted to and the language that I speak on the floor and off the floor probably applies to a certain group.”

On his message to the fanbase on why he’s here and what he wants to deliver

“We're really excited, and we'd like them to be at the game on Monday night. That'll be our first rep for all of us at XFINITY, and so we need it to be just as close to what it'll be, or what we anticipate it'll be the following Friday in game number one. We're going to try to play really hard, try to play for one another, try to represent the institution on the floor and off the floor in a way that they would be proud of. We're just at the beginning. We have a lot of work to do, many mountains to climb, but we're trying to climb it in a way that's sustainable so that we can get to the next mountain.”

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