University of Maryland basketball coach Kevin Willard, frustrated over not being able to make “fundamental changes” to the university’s Big Ten basketball program, has accepted a job at Villanova University in Villanova as their new men’s basketball head coach., writes Dan Gelston for AP, as reported in MSN.
The 49-year-old Willard was hired Sunday and will be taking over a Villanova program that has failed to make the NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons under Kyle Neptune after previously winning NCAA titles in 2016 and 2018.
Neptune was fired earlier this month.
The University of Maryland Terrapins earned a No. 4 seed and reached Sweet 16 before losing to Florida. Maryland went 27-9 this season and 14-6 in the Big Ten Conference.
“Coach Willard quickly stood out among an impressive pool of candidates during a comprehensive national search,” Villanova’s president, the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, said in a statement.
Donohue said Willard had demonstrated he had the “vision and experience to guide Villanova Basketball in the changing world of college athletics.”
The Villanova president also said they were impressed by Willard’s ability to articulate how Villanova Basketball fits into the mission of the university.
Read more about Kevin Willard and the changing landscape of college athletics at MSN.
