A new chapter of Maryland men’s basketball began on Monday with the announcement of Kevin Willard as the program’s new head coach. For Willard, it’s been “kind of a whirlwind” since Seton Hall’s 69-42 loss to TCU on Friday night, but by Sunday, Willard to Maryland was finalized.
“We sat down all day Sunday, really just kind of really talked about what our visions were, what we wanted,” Willard said during Tuesday’s introductory press conference. “The reason, the timing is very simple. I'm a father first and foremost, always and I have two boys who are going to ninth and 10th grade. I moved when I was in ninth grade, my brother moved when he was in 11th grade. If I was going to make a move, it had to be this year and it had to be for the right job. I got offered four other jobs this year. I was very blessed. Nothing was the University of Maryland and I really mean this. I say this, this is a top 10 college basketball program so when this opportunity came up with the time that was right for my family, for my sons. Unfortunately, my wife has been dragged across the country everywhere. She's kind of used to it but for my two sons, this was an unbelievable opportunity that I could not pass up and it was at the absolute right time for them to make sure that they had a great high school experience.”
With three offers to coach elsewhere on the table, Willard admitted knowing Maryland wanted him loomed large. “That was a big part of that decision too,” he added. “When I was finally offered a job Sunday night, technically, you know, I sat down with my wife and my two boys, it's a family decision. And I said, you know, this is something that I could never pass up. I said this is a special place. They've done it at the highest level with the highest coaches.”
“When I got the offer, it was a really, really good feeling to be honest with you because it's where I wanted to go. It's where I wanted to be,” he added.
Willard leaves Seton Hall with a 225-161 record over 12 seasons and will be tasked with filling out his assistant staff in short order. Willard added on Tuesday a pair of coaches have verbally agreed to join the Maryland staff, one of those being Ohio State assistant Tony Skinn. “I can't tell [who] you right now, unfortunately, I'll let you know by the end of the week, because they, as Colleen will say, they haven't signed their contracts yet,” Willard joked. But the understanding to have local flavor on the staff was well understood by the Terps’ new head coach.
“I already have two guys on staff, both guys are from this area, have went to high school in this area, one went to college in this area. I have a very good understanding what we need to do to recruit this area and the type of guys that need to be on my staff. What I love about the DMV is that not only does it have great players, it's extremely well-coached. At the high school level and the AAU level, there's some of the best programs. It's just not because they have great players. It's also because they have great coaches in this area. So, my staff will reflect what this area is, and we'll definitely be involved with guys that grew up here, guys that maybe went to college here and guys that know the AAU and high school programs really well.”
Along with filling out his staff, Willard will now be tasked with developing and building relationships with several of the current players, but familiarity helps in the situation. The first in-person team meeting is scheduled for next Monday with practice the following day, but Willard got his first introduction on Tuesday via Zoom.
“I watched again, because of location, I was able to watch them play this year and what I told them was that I was very proud of how they played, how hard they played under the circumstances that they went through. I know most of them. I've either played against them in conferences or I've recruited them. So, I know most of them. So, the conversation for me was, it was a simple message and it wasn't a very long message. Was enjoy spring break and when you come back to the University of Maryland, we're going to start working, we're gonna start having fun and we're gonna start building a national championship team.”
With increased optimism and buzz now surrounding the program with a head coach in place, knowing that staffing, recruiting, and portal activity are on the horizon, Willard knows what the expectation is. He knows he’s entering a fanbase that craves strong competition, a contender both in conference and postseason play, and an energetic style. With former Maryland head coach Gary Williams sitting front row, Willard knows the style of basketball he wants to get back to.
“We are going to bring back that passion, that energy that coach Williams coached with, that his players played with and that the swagger was something that a kid that grew up in Huntington, Long Island turning on ESPN and watching a Maryland game, all of a sudden wants to go play at the University of Maryland and play for a guy because that's how his teams played. This is one of the most unbelievable opportunities for me and my family. We are going to work every day. No one's gonna outwork us. No one's gonna grind us more. We have unbelievable support. It's an unbelievable university. I've been here, I've walked around. My promise to you is no one will outwork me. It just won't happen. No one's going to outwork my teams. They might have a better zone offense and if you ask Seton Hall fans, they will tell you, everybody has a better zone offense than me,” Willard joked. “But I will work every day, my staff will work every day.”
“We are going to have fun, we are going to bring the swag back to Maryland basketball and we are going to win at a high level.”
More from Willard, AD Damon Evans, President Darryll Pines
Opening statement: “I'm honored and humbled to be the head coach of the University of Maryland to be honest with you. They gave me this script and as you guys will soon start to know, I am from the Northeast, and we don't do scripts in the Northeast. I'd like to especially thank Dr. Pines. We had a great conversation on Monday, he started talking about all the stats that Damon was giving me out. I was so relieved because I thought he was gonna start talking about engineering and everything he did at the school and I was like, oh, man, so he started talking about Kenpom and this stat and that's stat and as like Dr. Pines, you're my kind of guy. So thank you, Dr. Pines for this unbelievable opportunity. A lot of people think you know, ADs aren't that important. I know football coaches love ADs. Basketball Coaches kind of just go with the flow a little bit but as I talk to Damon after we had lost in the NCAA Tournament, two things I really wanted to work with somebody is someone who had great passion and great vision. This is this is a top 10 job in college basketball, hands down. I would not have moved my family and left a place that I love very dearly if I did not think this was a place that we should be winning national championships. And is a top 10 job. And that's what I believe this is and that was the vision that Damon gave to me from the start, was that this is the University of Maryland. This is an unbelievable job in an unbelievable area and as I very quickly in my family have quickly found out with unbelievable people. We've been so welcomed in just the two days that we've been working together. I would just like to say Damon, thank you so much for the tremendous opportunity that you have given my family and I and that we will work every day to make sure that we are competing for national championships every day.”
I have to say, I got to I would like to thank my Seton Hall family. I was there for 12 years and it was home. I get emotional talking about Seton Hall, it was hard to leave. Guys like Pat Lyons…are just a handful great of supporters that helped build a program that was really struggling to a program that was ranked in the top 25, seven out of the last eight years, graduate every player went to six out of last seven NCAA Tournaments and won two championships. I had great support and I want to thank all my players, my staff for their dedication. I love you guys and I appreciate everything that you've done. To my family, my wife, Julie, Colin and Chase. We've made great sacrifices to take on this opportunity. I thank you and I love you. I didn't think Kevin Plank was going to be here today so I'm honored. Kevin, I have to thank Kevin personally because we were an Adidas school at Seton Hall for a long time and we were floundering. And Under Armour came into Seton Hall and sat down with us and gave us a sales pitch and showed us a sneaker and it was early, I think this is 2012. And I would have to say that we would never have built our program the way we did if it wasn't the support of Kevin and his unbelievable family at Under Armour, their employees, their vision. They grinded every day to help us get there and I just want to say thank you and I'm honored to be here at the University of Maryland where I know what you did and I know how good of a football player you were. Any one that was captain was a heck of a football player so thank you so much, Kevin.
So a reporter asked me today why Maryland, why Maryland, why now? In 1999, I was working for the Boston Celtics. I wasn't really an assistant coach, I was more of a video guy, advanced scout. And back then college basketball wasn't like it was now where it's on TV every night and Tuesday, you can get this game, Wednesday you get this game. Back then they had big Monday and coach [Gary] Williams and I were talking in the office. It was a Thursday night game and in 1999 I turn on the TV and there's Joe Smith and Steve Francis and they're running up and down the court and they're throwing alley oops and they're dunking and they're playing and there's coach Williams he's going up and down the sideline, he's sweating, he's got the tail thing going, I loved it. And I remember watching Maryland basketball and I remember thinking myself, I want to play for that man. I want to play at that school because they had such swagger. They had such confidence. They had a way about them that when you watch coach Williams teams, now as a coach and I go back and I look at your teams, they were so fundamental, they pass, they had a great assist-turnover ratio, they pressed after free throws, they always kept teams off balance. I know it all coach Williams, I watched your games. But his teams had a swagger. His players had a swagger, the University of Maryland had a swagger. And what our teams are going to do and what we are going to do is we are going to bring that swagger that Coach Williams had, and that Joe Smith, Steve Francis, Steve Blake, I can keep on going on, Juan Dixon. We are going to bring back that passion, that energy that coach Williams coached with, that his players played with and that the swagger was something that a kid that grew up in Huntington, Long Island turning on ESPN and watching a Maryland game, all of a sudden wants to go play at the University of Maryland and play for a guy because that's how his team's played. This is one of the most unbelievable opportunities for me and my family. We are going to work every day. No one's gonna outwork us. No one's gonna grind us more. We have unbelievable support. It's an unbelievable university. I've been here, I've walked around. My promise to you is no one will outwork me. It just won't happen. No one's going to outwork my teams. They might have a better zone offense and if you ask to Seton Hall fans, they will tell you, everybody has a better zone offense than me. But I will work every day, my staff will work every day. We are going to have fun, we are going to bring the swag back to Maryland basketball and we are going to win at a high level. And I promise you that thank you for this opportunity. I will not let you down.
Willard on what’s happened since TCU game: “Thanks for bringing up the TCU game. I see DC media is just like New York media. Gonna get along great. It's been kind of a whirlwind, Damon and I, we really didn't start talking till Sunday. We sat down all day Sunday, really just kind of really talked about what our visions were, what we wanted. The reason, the timing is very simple. I'm a father first and foremost, always and I have two boys are going to ninth and 10th grade. I moved when I was in ninth grade, my brother moved when he was in 11th grade. If I was going to make a move, it had to be this year and it had to be for the right job. I got offered four other jobs this year. I was very blessed. Nothing was the University of Maryland and I really mean this. I say this, this is a top 10 college basketball program so when this opportunity came up with the time that was right for my family, for my sons. Unfortunately, my wife has been dragged across the country everywhere. She's kind of used to it but for my two sons, this was an unbelievable opportunity that I could not pass up and it was at the absolute right time for them to make sure that they had a great high school experience.”
Willard on local recruiting: “Yeah, you know, I've recruited down in the DMV quite a bit and that's a nice thing. Particularly my house is only two and a half hours away from campus right here. So I spent a lot of time, I've had a couple players from this area. I already have two guys on staff, both guys are from this area, have went to high school in this area, one went to college in this area. I have a very good understanding what we need to do to recruit this area and the type of guys that need to be on my staff. What I love about the DMV is that not only does it have great players, it's extremely well-coached. At the high school level and the AAU level, there's some of the best programs. It's just not because they have great players. It's also because they have great coaches in this area. So my staff will reflect what this area is, and we'll definitely be involved with guys that grew up here, guys that maybe went to college here and guys that know the AAU and high school programs really well.”
Willard on assistants: “I can't tell you right now, unfortunately, I'll let you know by the end of the week, because they, as Colleen will say, they haven't signed their contracts yet. But no, I mean, this staff will be you know, even our player development our, you know, Damon has been great and the university and Dr. Pines have been great at making sure that we have a staff that that is equal to everyone else in this great conference in the Big Ten. It will be very heavy DMV guys.”
Willard on talking to players: “I did, I've talked to them and reached out through them through text and I've actually had some phone conversations. We had our first—I had to wait ‘till I got officially hired today—we had our first Zoom meeting. It's always fun to have eleven kids back on Zoom. I forgot how much they hated it. I forgot how much I hated it, just brought back nightmares of COVID. Very, you know, I watched again because of location, I was able to watch them play this year and what I told them was that I was very proud of how they played, how hard they played under the circumstances that they went through. I know most of them. I've either played against them in conferences or I've recruited them. So I know most of them. So the conversation for me was, it was a simple message and it wasn't a very long message. Was enjoy spring break and when you come back to the University of Maryland, we're going to start working, we're gonna start having fun and we're gonna start building a national championship team. That's pretty much all I said to them, to be honest. It's just, I saw zoom. And you know, a couple guys are like, you know, they're playing video games trying to make you know. It's just like when my kids are in school, Zoom, they you know, they're trying to give you your attention, but it's there. So I'm looking forward, we have our first team meeting Monday morning where I can see them in person. I think that's much more important seeing them in person and then we will start practice on Tuesday.”
AD Damon Evans on practice facility: “Great question, very excited about the basketball performance center, first and foremost. And, again, I want to thank all those who have contributed to it. It's a critical piece for us. Our goal is to hopefully get the shovel in the ground, if everything stays on course as planned, sometime around the first of next year, next January, to move forward with a shovel in the ground. And then from that point on, the project takes about 18 months. As Josh Kaplan always tells me everything takes 18 months to do so that's kind of the timeline we're on right now.”
President Darryll Pines on impact of hire: “You know, just what Coach Willard said, to bring Maryland basketball back to prominence. And what that does for the university, as I said in my remarks, is that it opens up other doors of opportunity, our alumni reengages the whole university, not just our athletics program. And we saw that back in 2002 and I hope to see it again soon.”
Willard on practice facility: “So, there was no sticking point. This was the University of Maryland basketball job. I knew Damon said that he was going to get it done. I believe them. And again, I just, this is one of the most premier basketball jobs in the country without a basketball practice facility. Just wait till we get a practice facility. You know what a practice does, everyone says it's for recruiting. It really has nothing to do with recruiting it's for the player experience. It’s so when your kids are here, they have a place that they can go, that they can eat, that they can rest, that they can do everything. It does help recruiting absolutely but it's also for your players and it helps them get better, helps them get more rest, it helps them get the right nutrition. It's not only just about getting your players here, it's about getting them better while they're here and that's what we talked about and I was, when it was this year or next year, I wasn't going to pass up a top-ten job just because they didn't have a box.”
Willard on knowing Maryland chose him: “Yeah, that was a big part of that decision too. You know, when I was finally offered a job Sunday night, technically. You know, I sat down with my wife and my two boys, it's a family decision. And I said, you know, this is something that I could never pass up. I said, this is a special place. They've done it at the highest level with the highest coaches. I mean, Lefty Driesell, I apologize. I didn't mention Lefty I mean, started this and then what Coach Williams did for all those years at a level that I want to achieve and I think what Coach Williams did, and show us was the fact that at the University of Maryland, it's possible and it should be done and it should be expected. So when I got the offer, it was a really, really good feeling to be honest with you because it's where I wanted to go. It's where I wanted to be. I knew Under Armour, I know how much they support, I knew how great of a brand it was, just the people. It's just a total package. So for me, it was where I wanted to go if I was going to leave, because I know how great this place can be.”
Willard on transfer portal: “I learned a lot this year. I mean, the transfer portal helped me get back to the NCAA tournament but it was also something that it's very difficult. You have to make sure, you have to be really strategic in the portal, you have to make sure, you have to see what's on your team and who are the guys that worked and helped get your program to a certain spot. And you got to make sure you take care of those guys and reward those guys. At the same time, you can use the portal to make sure that those guys are a little bit more successful can help you. I also believe that you still need to recruit freshmen because your culture, it can't last year in year out if you're just picking guys from the portal, from this guy from San Diego, this guy from Florida. All of a sudden now you have all sorts of different terminology on how guys play, terminology on how your guys culture is. So I think you have to be extremely strategic with the portal. It's become a weapon in college basketball but you cannot get away from recruiting talented high school freshmen and developing those freshmen with your culture, your work ethic. So that is passed on year in, year out. That's what we did at Seton Hall, I made sure that we had every year we brought four freshmen in and those freshmen we're gonna learn from the sophomores and juniors and then I got really strategic on how we use the portal. And we brought in really, really good pieces to help us get what our roster was missing.”
Willard on fan and player engagement: “I mean, I really like hanging out with anyone that likes to have a beer. If anybody wants to have one in about an hour, I'd really appreciate it. Yeah, no, I mean, that's my job. I mean, this is what I love. You know, I love events, I love you know, going out and meeting people, playing golf with people. You know, getting to know our fan base, getting to know everyone and I think it's a big part of what you do because there's going to be times when you struggle, there's gonna be times when your team struggles. The more you engage, the more you get your fan base engaged, the more you get your fan base to know your players. I think that's a big thing that I've always tried to do is get our fan base to know our players because at the end of the day, those are the guys that are giving it their all and laying on the court so I think it's a huge part of the job.”