Kevin Willard’s Move to Villanova: A New Chapter in College Basketball

Kevin Willard’s Move to Villanova: A New Chapter in College Basketball

In a move that has ended more than a week of speculation, Maryland‘s Kevin Willard has been appointed as the new head coach for the Villanova Wildcats. This decision comes after a comprehensive national search, and it seems Villanova’s president, the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.

“Coach Willard quickly stood out among an impressive pool of candidates during a comprehensive national search,” Donohue stated. “Throughout the process, Coach Willard demonstrated that he has the vision and experience to guide Villanova Basketball in the changing world of college athletics. Beyond his notable success on the court, we were also impressed by his ability to articulate how Villanova Basketball fits into the overarching mission of the University.”

Maryland just wrapped up one of its most successful seasons in the past two decades, earning a 4-seed in the NCAA tournament and making a run to the Sweet 16 before falling to top-seeded Florida. The Terrapins finished with a 27-9 overall record and a 14-6 mark in the Big Ten, consistently ranking in the top 10 in most predictive metrics. After a rocky 1-3 start to Big Ten play, Maryland lost just four games to Big Ten opponents for the rest of the season, and those by a combined nine points.

Willard’s tenure at Maryland spanned three seasons, during which he compiled a 65-39 record and led the team to two NCAA tournament appearances. His time in College Park was not without its headlines. Before Maryland’s first-round NCAA tournament game against Grand Canyon, Willard made waves by essentially breaking the news of Maryland athletic director Damon Evans leaving for SMU and explaining why he hadn’t signed a new contract in College Park.

Willard was candid about the changes he felt were necessary for the program. “I need to make fundamental changes to the program,” he said. “That’s what I’m focused on right now. That’s why probably a deal hasn’t got done because I want to see — I need to see fundamental changes done. I want this program to be great. I want it to be the best in the country, I want to win a national championship, but there’s things that need to change.”

He continued, “I need to make sure that we are where we are with NIL, and rev share is not where we’ve been with NIL over the past two years. We’ve been one of the worst, if not lowest, in the NIL in the last two years. So, that’s first and foremost. I also have to make a fundamental change where I can do the things that I want to do with my program. I wanted to spend an extra night in New York this year to celebrate Christmas with my team and I was told that we can’t do that because it’s too expensive. So, I don’t know how we can be a top-tier program and I can’t spend one extra night in New York because it’s too expensive.”

As Maryland advanced past Grand Canyon and Colorado State to reach Willard’s first Sweet 16 and the first for the Terps since 2016, his message remained consistent. After Maryland’s Sweet 16 loss to Florida, Willard admitted he was uncertain about his future. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” he confessed. “I’ll be honest with you. I haven’t talked to my agent. I haven’t talked to my wife.”

At Villanova, Willard steps into the shoes of Kyle Neptune, who was unable to lead the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament in any of his three seasons. Neptune had taken over in 2022 following the sudden retirement of Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright, who had guided Villanova to two national championships and four Final Four appearances.

Willard’s appointment marks a return to the Big East for the Long Island, New York native. He previously spent 12 seasons as the head coach at Seton Hall, where he led the Pirates to five NCAA tournament appearances and a share of the Big East regular-season title in 2020. That year, the program was on track for its highest NCAA tournament seed in nearly 30 years before the pandemic led to the tournament’s cancellation.

Before his time at Seton Hall, Willard was the head coach at Iona for three seasons and served as an assistant coach under Rick Pitino at Louisville and with the Boston Celtics. His father, Ralph Willard, had also been part of Pitino’s staff at multiple stops.

• Kevin Willard’s coaching career spans multiple successful tenures.
• Maryland’s recent season was one of its best in 20 years.
• Willard’s move to Villanova marks a return to the Big East.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.