Maryland men’s basketball coach Kevin Willard caused a stir ahead of his team’s first-round NCAA Tournament game, talking about the expected departure of the school’s athletic director and Willard’s desire to get more resources for his program.
A day before the fourth-seeded Terrapins face Grand Canyon, Willard – whose name has been floated for the Villanova job – was asked about why he hasn’t signed a new contract with Maryland.
On the podium, Willard aired some grievances with his boss Damon Evans, who is rumored to be a favorite for the AD job at SMU.
‘He’s probably going to SMU. So it’s kind of tough to negotiate with somebody that’s maybe not here, but I need to make fundamental changes to the program. That’s what I’m focused on right now. That’s why, probably, a deal hasn’t got done,’ Willard said.
Willard, who has led the Terps to the tournament twice in his three seasons in College Park, cited the program’s struggles keeping up in the NIL arms race.
‘We’ve been one of the worse, if not lowest, in the NIL in the last two years,’ Willard said.
Willard, who was previously the head coach at Seton Hall, pointed to the athletic department shooting down his request to have his team stay an extra night in New York City around a game in December.
‘I have to make a fundamental change where I can do the things that I want to do with my program. I wanted to spend an extra night in New York this year to celebrate Christmas with my team and I was told that we can’t do that because it’s too expensive,’ Willard said. ‘So I don’t know how we can be a top-tier program and I can’t spend one extra night in New York because it’s too expensive.’
Willard’s pointed criticisms of his boss were unusual on the eve of the tournament, leaving everybody scratching their heads about what the future holds for he and Evans at Maryland.
Evans became Maryland’s permanent athletic director in 2018 after serving as the interim AD for about eight months. He was Georgia’s athletic director from 2004-2010, but resigned after being arrested for a DUI.
‘Damon and I talked on Sunday night right before Selection Sunday. He gave me a term sheet right before Selection Sunday,’ Willard said. ‘Damon’s been talking to my agent. I talked to Damon this morning at length about where we are. Obviously, it’s difficult right now, because I think we know his situation.’
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