Photography courtesy University of Maryland Athletics
We talk with Kevin Willard, Maryland Terrapins Men’s Basketball Coach
University of Maryland’s Kevin Willard had the perfect pedigree to become a men’s college basketball coach. His father, Ralph, worked as head coach at Pittsburgh, Holy Cross, and Western Kentucky. Kevin even played for his father at Pittsburgh and Western Kentucky.
And Kevin started off big in the coaching world. His first coaching job was as an assistant with the NBA’s Boston Celtics under the legendary Rick Pitino, whom he followed to Louisville, where he spent 10 years as an assistant.
“I would say he is probably the greatest college coach,” Willard says. “I developed a really good friendship with him.”
His association with Pitino paid off. He landed his first head coaching job at Iona (going 45-49), then Seton Hall (225-161). Willard, a native of Huntington, New York, led Seton Hall to six NCAA tournament appearances since 2016. Now, he’ll try to revive the Terrapins.
The 47-year-old inherits a program coming off its worst record (15-17) in 30 years. But Willard could be a quick fixer. He brought in four transfers, including the playmaking senior backcourt of Jahmir Young (from University of North Carolina at Charlotte) and Donald Carey (Georgetown University).
That gives Maryland one of the Big Ten Conference’s most experienced backcourts. Both players entered the 2022 NBA Draft last year but withdrew to return to school. And Maryland returns top players Donta Scott, Hakim Hart, and Julian Reese.
We recently talked to Willard about what he learned from his father and Pitino, his standout backcourt, what kind of style he wants to play, and what brought him to College Park.
Photography courtesy University of Maryland Athletics
What kind of style do you want your team to play?
[Years ago] when I was coaching the Celtics, I turned on the TV and there were [Maryland players] Joe Smith and Steve Francis. They are running down the court throwing alley-oops and dunking. Gary Williams was going up and down the sidelines sweating. I said, “I would have liked to play for that man.” They had such swagger and confidence. What we are going to do is bring back that swagger, passion, and energy that Williams coached with, and his players played with. I was always a fan of the way they played.
Why did you want the Maryland coaching job?
It’s an unbelievable university. It’s got great academics. It’s in a phenomenal location. It has such a great tradition. I think those three things make it as good as any job in the country. It’s just something I couldn’t pass up. If I was going to leave Seton Hall, this was the place where I wanted to go. This is a top-10 job in college basketball. Hands down.
Did you always want to coach?
When you are playing, you want to continue with the game. I realized I wasn’t going to have a long playing career. I loved the game so much that I wanted to continue to be in the game. That option was coaching.
Your father coached at four different colleges, and you played for him for four years What did you learn from him?
The biggest thing I took away from my father was his passion for his players. He was always there for his players. He cared for his players, and they always came first. That was evident in how he ran all his programs. I also took away how to do offensive and defensive drills the right way, building a program, and how to deal with the media and alumni. I saw it all. His influence is with me every day.
You coached under Pitino for a long time. Was he also a mentor of yours?
Absolutely. I worked for Coach Pitino for 10 years. My first coaching job was with Pitino and I really saw how he did things. His defensive philosophies were important throughout my coaching career. He was so influential in my coaching career.
Photography courtesy University of Maryland Athletics
Legendary Terps coach Gary Williams greets Willard
You started your coaching career with Pitino and the Boston Celtics. What was that experience like?
It was phenomenal. The great thing about the NBA is that it is all basketball. One season and you coach about 110 games. In college, it takes four years to coach that many games. You see how the greatest players train. You see how the greatest coaches scheme. I wish every young man had the same experience I did because it’s the ultimate training guide to becoming a head coach.
A criticism of the Maryland program over the years has been that the Terrapins don’t get enough of the nation’s top players from the area. How are you going to recruit in the DMV area?
I have recruited in the DMV a lot. My house is only two and a half hours from here. I’ve had a couple of players from this area. I have two guys on staff that are from this area. One went to high school in the area and the other went to college in the area. I have a very good understanding of what we need to do to recruit in this area.
Can you talk about the backcourt transfers, Jahmir Young and Donald Carey, that you brought in? They should have quite an impact.
I thought the biggest thing we needed to improve was our backcourt. The team had lost its starting backcourt. I was looking for someone who could really shoot the basketball. I was familiar with Don having played against him in our conference. I knew his competitiveness and how well he can shoot the basketball. Watching Jahmir, I realized he is a guy who can play multiple positions but can really score with the basketball, and he is a very good facilitator. They are going to help the guys on the roster get better.
