Villanova announces Kevin Willard
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“Jay, would you be okay if I did take this job?” Willard asked Wright.
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“He is looking forward to seeing who Maryland hires and will entertain other options, too,” “Big” Rodney Rice, Rice’s father, said by text, referring to Maryland’s search for Willard’s replacement.
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Former Maryland men’s basketball coach Kevin Willard says “it’s time for everyone to move on” after him leaving for Villanova angered fans.
One of the deciders in the process was none other than Jay Wright, Willard’s former adversary over a decade coaching at Seton Hall. After formal conversations with university President Rev. Peter Donohue and athletic director Eric Roedl, Willard fired up the old Big East phone tree Saturday night.
ESPN's Scott Van Pelt shared his thoughts about the way Kevin Willard left Maryland for Villanova. He didn't hold back.
Willard left Maryland with a 65-39 record and two NCAA Tournament appearances. He is fresh off his best season with the program, in which he constructed a talented roster dubbed the "Crab Five" and earned a second-place finish in the Big Ten and a trip to the Sweet 16.
Not everyone was happy with Willard's decision to leave Maryland for Villanova, as his move reignited some controversy around coaches changing schools.
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Willard emphasized when the Terps were in Seattle that he loved coaching at Maryland, but he wanted the school to improve in NIL.
Kyle Neptune had the unenviable task of succeeding Jay Wright, who delivered a pair of national championships and is the greatest coach in program history. Under Neptune, the Wildcats went 54-47 overall and only once in his three years had a winning record in the Big East.
Kevin Willard is leaving his position as Maryland men’s basketball coach after three seasons to take the same job at Villanova, the schools announced Sunday, ending a saga that started just before the Terrapins began play in the NCAA tournament this month and stretched through their exit in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night.
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The Villanova Wildcats have hired Maryland's Kevin Willard as their new coach. Willard had been linked to the Villanova job throughout the NCAA Tournament, where the Terrapins earned a No. 4 seed and reached the Sweet 16 before losing to Florida.