What seemed inevitable for more than a week is now decided: Kevin Willard leaves Maryland after three seasons like the next Villanova coach, sources told CBS Sports.
Willard met on Saturday afternoon with Villanova officials, accepting an agreement shortly after. Maryland has planned a team meeting on Sunday morning, according to reports, in which the wait is that Willard will inform his players that he leaves.
The 49-year-old employment exchange marks the end of a public and disorderly saga which took place in part because Willard last week opened openly about his problems with the way Maryland finances his male basketball program. He also never denied his participation in Villanova, where he became a rumor candidate a few days after the dismissal of March 15 of Kyle Neptune.
“I want this program to be great”, Willard said Maryland last weekend in Seattle For the Terrapins travel for the first and second round. “I want it to be the best in the country, I want to win a national championship, but there are things that have to change. … We have been one of the worst, if not the lowest, in the Nile in the past two years. So, that is above all.”
The Maryland was eliminated from the tournament in Sweet 16 Thursday evening by the Florida of seeded 87-71. Terps finished 27-9, Their latest victory to come in the second round on a buzzer-atmosprator of Fab Freshman Derik Queen.
Willard moving away from Maryland was feeling more and more likely from the interior of the team’s game for the Florida’s team, sources said. Another source has shared that Willard had not responded to some influential people from Maryland in recent days, which has increased frustration on the side of Maryland.
By choosing Villanova – a private school, which means that it does not have to disclose conditions of contract – Willard is moving away from the Maryland offer, which was near $ 6 million per year, a source told CBS Sports. He also fled a situation which, largely of his own fact, had become extremely toxic while the NCAA tournament continued. Willard’s business being so outdoors, he became a pariah for supporters of Maryland. The return to College Park was not a desirable option; He is now an enemy for a large part of this fans base.
By choosing Villanova, Willard will return to the Big East, a league in which he trained for a dozen years. Willard won 225 games in Seton Hall, but won only one NCAA tournament match. His Sweet 16 Run with Maryland is the only time he trained a team in the second weekend of March Madness. His career record is 335-249 (.574).
The decision on the side of Villanova comes after the school considered Richard Pitino, to carry Moser and some more notable candidates who expressed their interest in private, according to sources.
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With the opening of Maryland, the program will be for a major reset at an inappropriate time. It is the only maximum job without head coach for the moment. The school does not have a full -time sports director after the former Ad Damon Evans left last week to take the same job in SMU. Maryland’s “Crab Five” starters may have all played their last game for the school due to the interest of the NBA, the graduation and / or opportunities waiting in the portal.
Without a full -time announcement, and with a president who is not invested too much in the sporting side of the management of a university, Maryland will count on a research company to win its next coach. Potential names could include the tastes of Texas A&M Buzz Williams, Mike Rhoades by Penn State, American Simpkins and Tony Skinn by George Mason. In addition to these four, a swarm of online Maryland fans burst a non-headache coach with a championship pedigree: the assistant of Uconn, 39, Luke Murray.
