Villanova men’s basketball head coach Kevin Willard considers his new role as his “last job,” writes Jeff Neiburg for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“I feel like I’m in the prime of my coaching career, I just turned 50,” he said. “This was my wife and I making a decision together where we wanted to spend, technically, my last job.
During Willard’s introduction to the Villanova campus on Wednesday, the coach talked about his desire to be back in the Big East, his reverence for the conference, and his admiration for the program Jay Wright built.
Willard said he didn’t want to change the culture of the team, but to be “adaptive,” altering the style of play, helping Villanova adapt in the modern era of college basketball.
His bosses, school president Rev. Peter Donohue and athletic director Eric Roedl, say they will hold Willard to the same standard they held former coach Kyle Neptune, who was fired after not reaching the NCAA Tournament in three seasons.
That will mean a quick and severe makeover to get the Wildcats back into the NCAA Tournament.
Willard’s first 10 days on the job have been about rebuilding next year’s roster.
Find out more about where the team might be going next season in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
