The Maryland men's basketball coaching search has finally come to an end. More than three months after the resignation of long-time coach Mark Turgeon, the Terrapins on Monday announced the hiring of Kevin Willard from Seton Hall to be the program's next head coach.
Willard, 46, took over the Pirates program in 2010 after three seasons leading the Iona program. The news comes just days after he coached in the program's third-worst loss in NCAA Tournament history, falling 69-42 to No. 9 seed TCU. It was the fifth NCAA Tournament for the school under Willard and the fourth time it went one-and-done in the Dance.
"We are thrilled to welcome Kevin to the Terrapin family," Maryland athletic director Damon Evans said in a release. "We are excited about the future of Maryland basketball with Kevin leading the way. Known for his gritty, hard-working teams, Kevin has had tremendous success, winning conference championships and leading his teams to NCAA Tournaments. He has made a habit of scheduling challenging opponents and winning in those games as evidenced by his record against Big Ten teams in recent years. He has familiarity with the region, being a native New Yorker and having spent much of his life in the Northeast corridor. We welcome Kevin, his wife Julie, and their sons Colin and Chase to the Maryland family and we look forward to the next great chapter in Terrapin basketball history."
Willard's interest in the Maryland job became noisy over the weekend, and he was asked after the first-round NCAA Tournament loss to TCU, amid the intensifying rumors, if he was leaving Seton Hall. Willard somewhat deflected but still gave a pretty raw answer that suggested there was more than just smoke behind the scenes.
"I'll give you exactly what I can tell you. I have an agent who I haven't talked to yet. I haven't talked to," he said. "I don't know who he's talking to. I have absolutely no idea. But when I get home I'll talk to my agent and discuss things with my agent."
Willard added a follow-up endorsement for Saint Peter's coach Shaheen Holloway that seemed to foreshadow where things may be headed. Holloway, a former Seton Hall star, is the head coach at Saint Peter's and may be in position to succeed Willard, though his Peacocks are still in the NCAA Tournament.
"I'll be honest with you," said Willard. "If I'm not here next year, I'd love, if Shaheen Holloway is here, that would be the happiest thing to happen to me."
Willard was 45-49 in his three seasons leading the Gaels, but on the whole has been much more successful at Seton Hall, where he has accumulated a 225-161 record with a regular-season Big East championship, a postseason conference championship and five NCAA Tournament berths. He's set to step in at a Maryland program that has made just one Sweet 16 appearance since 2003 but has the resources to consistently be one of the top programs in the Big Ten.
"Growing up and coaching in the region, I have always admired Maryland basketball," Willard said in a release. "Being named head coach of one of the nation's premier basketball programs is a tremendous honor . . Having coached against Maryland several times and at XFINITY Center, I know how Terp fans feel about this team. I embrace the high expectations. Skill development and a dedication to academic success will be cornerstones of our program and I can promise Terp Nation we will work to make them proud of this basketball team as we build winners on the court and in the classroom."
