Kevin Willard left the Maryland Terrapins male basketball team to take over the Wildcats de Villanova, trying to resuscitate the program that saw Jay Wright leave a few years ago.
Willard’s departure came after the terraaps had a fun race in March Madness, who saw the Buzzer-Beater of Derik Queen giving them a victory over the state of Colorado. The Maryland race ended with the Sweet 16 with a defeat against the Gators of Florida N ° 1.
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Sports broadcaster Scott Van Pelt reacts during the second half in the match between the Maryland Terrapins and the Michigan State Spartans at the Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland, on February 26, 2025. (Images Reggie Hildred-Imagn)
It was the deepest tournament race for the Willard team since he took over the Terps before the start of the 2022-23 season. He had been with the Pirates Seton Hall before that.
However, as quickly as he arrived, Willard had left. It was announced Sunday as the new chief coach of Villanova while the Wildcats were preparing for the university basketball crown. The decision for Willard to leave Maryland angry fans, including the ESPN Scott Van Pelt broadcaster.
“Of course, Kevin Willard can go to Villanova,” said Van Pelt. “Of course, you can return to your Big East roots. Of course, if it’s better for your family-we are savages, but we are not soulless savages. If it’s better for your family, of course. But maybe you don’t take a giant — on the steps of the house in which you have lived in the past three years.
Maryland Terrapins’ head coach Kevin Willard addresses the media at a press conference during the NCAA regional tournament at the Chase Center in San Francisco on March 26, 2025. (Images Kyle Terada-Imagn)
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“You do not do any damage to the university and the program where you have been for three years. And you do not take the efforts of people behind the scenes which have poured their hearts and souls for you to try to fill the shortcomings. And I say to them: ‘No, no, I want this program to be best.
“Maybe you don’t tell these people several times when everyone in the industry said to me:” Scott, why do you waste your time? It’s done. Everyone in the business knows. He left. “”
ESPN SCOTT VAN PELT commentator reacts during the second half in the match between the terraaps of Maryland and the Wisconsin badgers at the XFINITY CENTER in College Park, Maryland, on January 29, 2025. (Images Reggie Hildred-Imagn)
Van Pelt, a graduate from Maryland, seemed to be upset by the way Willard started the tournament. The coach took subtle fire against the outgoing director of athletics Damon Evans and complained about the lack of zero resources that the program had.
The broadcaster suggested that Willard’s requests were not made in good faith.
Anyway, Willard went on a new trip. He was 65-39 years old in three seasons in Maryland. He spent 12 years in Seton Hall and three years in Iona.
