New Villanova basketball coach Kevin Willard had a rough exit from Maryland, as it became apparent to many before the Terrapins were eliminated in the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament that he would be leaving the program. Willard admitted that he could have handled things differently in press conferences at the end with the Maryland basketball program.
“I think some of my comments during the NCAA tournament probably could have been a little bit less abrasive,” Kevin Willard said, via ESPN. “Unfortunately, sometimes when my passion for my program, my passion for my players comes out, I get a little excited. The only thing I’m going to say is, normal fans just don’t understand what went on. … I just think it’s time that everyone moved on.”
Leading up to his departure from Maryland, Willard spoke on the “fundamental changes” he wanted to see for him to remain with the program. These changes were related to the plan for revenue sharing with athletes, and Willard questioned how the program could be “top tier” in the new era of college sports.
Willard did say that his comments at the time were genuine, even though many who follow the Maryland program do not believe they were.
“Everything I said during the press conference was because I loved Maryland. I was very passionate about my job,” Willard said, via ESPN. “Very simply, all I wanted to do was try to get the best for my players and best for the program. I’m going to do the same thing here at Villanova. My comments were just about having an opportunity to try to make Maryland the best program we could make it.”
Willard will have the resources he desires at Villanova basketball, and he will returning to the Big East, a conference he is familiar with from his time at Seton Hall. However, the exit from Maryland was a rough one.
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