COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Whatever misgivings Kevin Willard might have had about coaching men’s basketball at Maryland, Buzz Williams’ arrival shows the job is still pretty enticing.
In Williams, the Terrapins hired an experienced replacement who has had some success in highly competitive leagues. He was not only willing to leave Texas A&M after three straight NCAA tournament appearances, but he accepted the Maryland job shortly after the departure of the school’s athletic director — and following Willard’s messy exit.
“Relative to what I thought was important on the commitment going forward, on what is needed to be successful at the highest level, there was never any question from (Maryland) on the commitment for us, me, the staff, NIL, the players, the resources,” Williams said. “I’m at peace with all of it.”
Williams was introduced Wednesday at a news conference that included Colleen Sorem, Maryland’s interim athletic director, and Darryll Pines, the school’s president.
Maryland was certainly eager to show off its new coach, holding an event that included cheerleaders and band members. The playlist before the news conference included “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye — and whether that choice was intentional or just a coincidence, the mood was clear. The Terps were moving on from Willard, and they were excited about the future.
Spectators included football coach Mike Locksley and women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese, plus Gary Williams, who coached the men’s basketball team to the 2002 national title. Following his departure, the Terps were coached by Mark Turgeon (who also came from Texas A&M) for 10-plus seasons and Willard for three.
Willard left last weekend to take the job at Villanova. It wasn’t a surprise that he viewed Villanova as an attractive position, but before he left, he also had some pointed comments about the institutional support for his program at Maryland. Those remarks occurred around the same time athletic director Damon Evans left for SMU — and right as the Terps were starting their NCAA tournament run that ended in the Sweet 16.
Buzz Williams was also in the tournament; Texas A&M lost in the second round. So there was some distance between him and the Willard-Maryland breakup.
“I really didn’t even know what had transpired, and I think that was what caught me off guard in my interaction with Dr. Pines, is he told me what had transpired,” Williams said. “That’s not to speak ill towards Coach Willard or the team. I didn’t hear all of it, nor do I think all of it’s important.”
As awkward as the past couple weeks have been, Maryland avoided a protracted search for a new coach.
“Really did everything that we could to focus on keeping Willard, but at the same time, the reality of, if he left we needed to be prepared,” Sorem said. “So a lot of prep, a lot of diligent hours, research, talking to people beforehand, and then when we finally got the word, we were ready to go.”
Pines said he hopes the search process for an athletic director will start by next week. When Sorem was asked whether she’d be interested in the position, the question was cut off by Brian Ullmann, a deputy athletic director and chief strategy officer.
“We’ll wait until Darryl sees what he does first,” he said.
As for Williams, he faces the same challenges as any coach these days: putting together a roster. Maryland’s “Crab Five” — the starting lineup that was among the best in the country — might not have any returnees next season. Two starters are out of eligibility, two more entered the transfer portal and star big man Derik Queen could be a high pick in the NBA draft if he leaves the Terps after one season.
“As soon as I can figure out who’s on the roster, that would be the first place to start. I met with the team this morning. They were great,” Williams said. “I think it’s a volatile change that coaches always speak of, that sometimes players don’t have the opportunity to speak of. … I just wanted to give them a platform to give me advice.”
