Seton Hall‘s Kevin Willard has been officially announced as the new head coach at Maryland. Willard went 225-161 in twelve seasons with the Pirates, going to five NCAA Tournaments.
“We are excited about the future of Maryland basketball with Kevin leading the way,” AD Damon Evans said in a release. “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.”
This will be the third head coaching stop for Willard, who also spent three seasons at Iona before getting the Seton Hall job in 2010. Two seasons ago, Willard led Seton Hall to a share of the Big East title for the first time over 25 years.
“Growing up and coaching in the region, I have always admired Maryland basketball. Being named head coach of one of the nation’s premier basketball programs is a tremendous honor,” said Willard. “Thank you to President Pines and Damon Evans for trusting me to energize this proud program as we look to galvanize our passionate fanbase with a gritty, hard-working style of basketball. 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. Julie and our boys are excited to join the Terrapin family.”
credit to Maryland Athletics for the image
