The latest from Maryland AD Damon Evans from his segment on 105.7's Vinny & Haynie show:
On being named to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, his responsibilities
“At first, I should say thanks for the congratulations. This is an exciting opportunity, and as you might imagine, I'm honored to serve on this particular committee and being able to give back to a sport that has given so much to me as a former player and now as an athletics administrator. This is a great opportunity. These things come about. I was fortunate that Rich Clark asked me to be a part of this, if I would be interested in [this]. Of course, our Commissioner Tony Petit played a significant role as well. So when these opportunities come along, you take them and I look forward to serving the committee and learning a lot more about how the process works.”
On whether Evans has a chance to change anything within the committee
“The playoff format, in and of itself, is determined by the Management Committee and the Board of Managers decision. So it's not for the selection committee to decide the format and I'm just looking to really forward to learning more about my role and of ranking teams and what I need to do to do a good job for the committee. But the Management Committee will make those decisions.”
On the coaching turnover for the football program
“Continuity is very key, and whether it's in coaching, whether it's in a business organization, whether it's in an athletic department, you like to have some continuity but unfortunately, sometimes that is not the case. And what you have to do, you just have to adjust and adapt. Continuity across sports in general is changing because you don't even know what your team is going to look like from year-to-year now with the portal and what we want to call free agency and kids being able to leave every year so you really don't know what your team is going to look like. And so you have to adjust to that just as well as you have to adjust to bring in the right staff. But my hope is that we can develop some more continuity in our staffing. But I like the decisions that Locks has made with regards to his coaching staff and the changes that need to be made and we'll move forward accordingly.”
On basketball’s bounce back win vs. Penn State
“Well, I've said this on a number of occasions, joining you guys - it's a long season. And when you're early in the season and you lose a few games, I know how we all are, it's a roller coaster ride. But the great thing is Kevin built this team the right way and he made it in a fashion that would allow us to gain some momentum, some confidence. And as you started seeing as the season went on, we started getting better and better and better and that's why I like where we are today. Even in the past few games, Michigan State, we didn't shoot the ball that well like we normally had but we were still right there to win the game, and it took a 65-footer for us to lose that game. Then you go to Penn State, we still don't have our ‘A’ game, but we're able to figure out a way to win there, which we hadn't done in a long time. But that shows you we have a lot of individuals in that starting five who can score. It shows you the resiliency of this team, and it shows you that Kevin has led this team in a manner in which they have built up a great deal of confidence. So I like where we are right now going into these last two games as well as getting ready for the Big Ten Tournament and then the NCAA Tournament.”
On Kevin Willard’s success in the transfer portal
“We have to give Kevin credit. Willard did an exceptional job of going out and identifying players that would allow us to be where we are today. He went out and got Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who every time he shoots the ball, it looks like it's going in. His ability to create off the drill, his ability to get his other teammates involved. And then he goes out and gets a Rodney Rice that a lot of people, they weren't so sure about. And now we look and see what Rodney’s doing. He was able to close the deal with Derik Queen and that rollercoaster of a of a recruiting ride. He was able to get JuJu to stay here and then the addition of Selton Miguel. So he's really gone out and got some good pieces. And you got to give credit where credit's due. But not only did he get good pieces - he got pieces that fit together well and he’s developed them and coached them up and we're in an exciting position right now.”
On spring sports
“I’ve gotta get into women's basketball. You know, our women's basketball team is ranked 15th in the country. They earned a double by in the Big Ten tournament with the number four seed. And I think what Brenda has done this year has been exceptional. We've had some injuries without you know, Bri is now not here, and then Saylor Poffenberger is not here able to play for us and to win those last two games against Indiana and then to come here and beat Ohio State on a buzzer beater by [Sarah] Te-Biasu, which was just unbelievable. So to be able to get that double bye - I'm hopeful that we can get in position to host first rounds here on campus. So I'm excited about what holds for our women's basketball team, who will play on Friday at 2:30 in Indianapolis. Other things going on, gentlemen, the number one lacrosse team in the country, taking on Notre Dame, a rematch of last year's national championship game. It's unbelievable that John Tillman, year in and year out, always has his team ready to compete at a high level. Huge win for us, and it's nice to be ranked number one. Lacrosse on the women's side is 3-1 and beat Denver this past weekend, 14-10. And baseball is off to a 7-5 start. Softball beat St. Joe's yesterday, 8-0. And so there's a lot happening around here and we're just going to keep rolling with it.”
Related Links
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on YouTube