Villanova University has hired Kevin Willard as its new head basketball coach, bringing an end to a week-long search process. The decision was made after the university’s president, Rev. Peter M. Donohue, praised Willard for his vision and experience in guiding college athletics.
Willard comes from Maryland, where he led the team to a 4-seed in the NCAA tournament and a Sweet 16 appearance before falling to top-seeded Florida. During his three seasons, the Terrapins finished with a record of 27-9 overall and 14-6 in the Big Ten conference.
Willard’s tenure at Maryland was marked by his focus on fundamental changes to the program, including improving the team’s name, image, and likeness (NIL) efforts and ensuring players receive fair compensation. He expressed frustration with the current system, stating that Maryland’s program is “one of the worst” in NIL over the past two years.
The new coach will replace Kyle Neptune, who failed to lead the Wildcats to an NCAA tournament appearance in any of his three seasons. Willard has a rich coaching background, including 12 seasons as the head coach at Seton Hall and stints as an assistant coach under Rick Pitino at Louisville and with the Boston Celtics.
Source: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/44463330/maryland-kevin-willard-villanova-head-coach