- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 401,574
- Reaction score
- 43
Derik Queen’s thrilling fadeaway bank shot on Sunday night to send Maryland men’s basketball to its first Sweet 16 since 2016 and only the second time in the past two decades might be the quintessential snapshot of the season.
But when the season ends, the lasting visage around the program might belong to Kevin Willard — despite his protests.
“I don’t think anybody wants this face anywhere,” he quipped Saturday before the No. 4 seed Terps’ 72-71 win against No. 12 seed Colorado State at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. “If you go to the Xfinity Center [in College Park], I’m not on one wall, and that is on purpose. No. No. No. I would much rather have Derik Queen smiling and Julian Reese smiling, and everyone getting to know them and everyone remembering them.”
His arguments aside, Willard emerged as Maryland’s most prominent gatekeeper this past weekend. In light of his announcement that athletic director Damon Evans was headed for SMU and that his decision to agree to a contract extension will likely depend on “fundamental changes” to the program, Willard might wield more power than any predecessors possessed.
And the writing on the wall is visible to Willard’s players, who chuckled when informed of Willard’s insistence that he is not the face of the program.
“I think he is the face of the program,” junior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie said. “That’s the head coach.”
Added sophomore shooting guard Rodney Rice: “He’s the guy around here.”
On Tuesday, Willard made an appearance on The Team 980 after missing an earlier show on WJFK-FM 106.7, chalking up the absence to oversleeping and being on West Coast time. But he said he is not leaving the program, saying, “As of right now, I’m staying.”
A few minutes later, he repeated his refrain that he needs certain reassurances written into his contract that will ensure that the players, coaches and program will be taken care of.
“Maybe my [New] Jersey came out of me in not the greatest way,” he acknowledged Tuesday. “I want to make this program the best. And I think when you have an opportunity to do it, you have to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Willard’s declaration the day before the Terps’ first-round matchup against No. 13 seed Grand Canyon raised eyebrows and questions. Why pull back the curtain on the inner machinations of the athletic department about 24 hours before their most important game of the season? And why air grievances at a time such as this?
Willard’s words might have haunted him if Maryland was stunned by the Antelopes. But the team flexed its muscles and built an 81-49 rout, and Reese, the senior power forward and elder statesman, said he and his teammates were unperturbed by the resulting scrutiny.
Others said they appreciated Willard’s stance defending them and the program.
“That just shows us that he’s a player’s coach,” Gillespie said. “He wants the best for all of his players. That’s good for our head coach to say that.”
“I feel like everybody wants their coach to just be honest and blunt with them, and I feel like Coach Willard is the same guy you all see when he gets up here,” sophomore shooting guard DeShawn Harris-Smith said. “That’s the same way he is with us. I really respect his transparency and just him always being honest, and I feel like it was good that he voiced his opinion because I feel like everybody wanted to hear.”
Willard’s evolution shouldn’t be that surprising. This is his third year in College Park, and he has taken the school to the NCAA Tournament twice. The “Crab Five” is among the program’s most talented starting groups, and interest from three-time national champion Villanova gives him the kind of leverage any employee would wish for.
And in an era when a player like Reese, who stayed for four years, is becoming rare, coaches like Kansas’ Bill Self, Connecticut’s Danny Hurley and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo are gaining staying power and becoming more popular figures in the sport’s landscape. Yet it is a trend that Willard would rather avoid.
“I think this game is still all about the kids and their opportunity,” he said. “I know it doesn’t seem that way. I watched how excited Derik Queen was on Selection Sunday. I still think this sport eventually will figure out a way to make sure that these kids — because this is their opportunity. I’m a head coach. This is their opportunity to make it. It shouldn’t be about the coaches. It really shouldn’t be. It should still be about these young men and developing these young men and giving these guys the best opportunity. They’re 21 years old, I’m 49. My job is to make sure they can get to 49.”
Colorado State coach Niko Medved sided with Willard and said many coaches are seeking avenues to protect and build upon their programs.
“We always feel like you need more because you want to compete,” said Medved, who on Monday was named the next coach at Minnesota. “We’re all competitive, we want to compete, everybody invests so much in this deal to try to win at the highest level, and that’s kind of the name of the game. So of course we’re all talking about it, and this stuff just continues to evolve, but I’m happy for the players that they get an opportunity to participate in this, and hopefully we’re moving in a direction that we’re going to have a little bit more transparency and a little bit better rules of engagement so we can all kind of know what this is moving forward.”
While Willard joked that the only member of his family who listens to him is his dog, he most definitely has the ears of those who can invest in his team. Queen, the gifted freshman center from Baltimore, quipped that the players listen to Willard because he doles out the NIL revenue, but Reese said their trust in him runs deep.
“I feel like as a player, you’ve got to put that trust in your coach,” the Randallstown native and St. Frances graduate said. “It’s part of being a team. And as a leader, I’ve got to listen to him, and we’ve got to take something from each other, and that’s what we’ve got to do for us to win. I feel like every good team listens to their team leader, and everybody works together just to do that.”
Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at [email protected], 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun.
NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
No. 4 seed Maryland vs. No. 1 seed Florida
At Chase Center, San Francisco
Thursday, 7:39 p.m.
TV: TBS/TruTV
Radio: 105.7 FM
Continue reading...
But when the season ends, the lasting visage around the program might belong to Kevin Willard — despite his protests.
“I don’t think anybody wants this face anywhere,” he quipped Saturday before the No. 4 seed Terps’ 72-71 win against No. 12 seed Colorado State at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. “If you go to the Xfinity Center [in College Park], I’m not on one wall, and that is on purpose. No. No. No. I would much rather have Derik Queen smiling and Julian Reese smiling, and everyone getting to know them and everyone remembering them.”
His arguments aside, Willard emerged as Maryland’s most prominent gatekeeper this past weekend. In light of his announcement that athletic director Damon Evans was headed for SMU and that his decision to agree to a contract extension will likely depend on “fundamental changes” to the program, Willard might wield more power than any predecessors possessed.
And the writing on the wall is visible to Willard’s players, who chuckled when informed of Willard’s insistence that he is not the face of the program.
“I think he is the face of the program,” junior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie said. “That’s the head coach.”
Added sophomore shooting guard Rodney Rice: “He’s the guy around here.”
On Tuesday, Willard made an appearance on The Team 980 after missing an earlier show on WJFK-FM 106.7, chalking up the absence to oversleeping and being on West Coast time. But he said he is not leaving the program, saying, “As of right now, I’m staying.”
A few minutes later, he repeated his refrain that he needs certain reassurances written into his contract that will ensure that the players, coaches and program will be taken care of.
“Maybe my [New] Jersey came out of me in not the greatest way,” he acknowledged Tuesday. “I want to make this program the best. And I think when you have an opportunity to do it, you have to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Related Articles
- Maryland football hires former Ravens LB coach as defensive coordinator
- March Madness: Maryland women survive Alabama, 111-108, in 2OT to advance to Sweet 16
- ‘I’m from Baltimore’: Derik Queen solidifies Maryland men’s basketball legacy
- Maryland men’s basketball is for real. Enjoy these Terps while you can. | ANALYSIS
- Did Maryland’s Derik Queen travel before his buzzer-beater? Rules expert says no.
Willard’s declaration the day before the Terps’ first-round matchup against No. 13 seed Grand Canyon raised eyebrows and questions. Why pull back the curtain on the inner machinations of the athletic department about 24 hours before their most important game of the season? And why air grievances at a time such as this?
Willard’s words might have haunted him if Maryland was stunned by the Antelopes. But the team flexed its muscles and built an 81-49 rout, and Reese, the senior power forward and elder statesman, said he and his teammates were unperturbed by the resulting scrutiny.
Others said they appreciated Willard’s stance defending them and the program.
“That just shows us that he’s a player’s coach,” Gillespie said. “He wants the best for all of his players. That’s good for our head coach to say that.”
“I feel like everybody wants their coach to just be honest and blunt with them, and I feel like Coach Willard is the same guy you all see when he gets up here,” sophomore shooting guard DeShawn Harris-Smith said. “That’s the same way he is with us. I really respect his transparency and just him always being honest, and I feel like it was good that he voiced his opinion because I feel like everybody wanted to hear.”
Willard’s evolution shouldn’t be that surprising. This is his third year in College Park, and he has taken the school to the NCAA Tournament twice. The “Crab Five” is among the program’s most talented starting groups, and interest from three-time national champion Villanova gives him the kind of leverage any employee would wish for.
And in an era when a player like Reese, who stayed for four years, is becoming rare, coaches like Kansas’ Bill Self, Connecticut’s Danny Hurley and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo are gaining staying power and becoming more popular figures in the sport’s landscape. Yet it is a trend that Willard would rather avoid.
“I think this game is still all about the kids and their opportunity,” he said. “I know it doesn’t seem that way. I watched how excited Derik Queen was on Selection Sunday. I still think this sport eventually will figure out a way to make sure that these kids — because this is their opportunity. I’m a head coach. This is their opportunity to make it. It shouldn’t be about the coaches. It really shouldn’t be. It should still be about these young men and developing these young men and giving these guys the best opportunity. They’re 21 years old, I’m 49. My job is to make sure they can get to 49.”
Colorado State coach Niko Medved sided with Willard and said many coaches are seeking avenues to protect and build upon their programs.
“We always feel like you need more because you want to compete,” said Medved, who on Monday was named the next coach at Minnesota. “We’re all competitive, we want to compete, everybody invests so much in this deal to try to win at the highest level, and that’s kind of the name of the game. So of course we’re all talking about it, and this stuff just continues to evolve, but I’m happy for the players that they get an opportunity to participate in this, and hopefully we’re moving in a direction that we’re going to have a little bit more transparency and a little bit better rules of engagement so we can all kind of know what this is moving forward.”
While Willard joked that the only member of his family who listens to him is his dog, he most definitely has the ears of those who can invest in his team. Queen, the gifted freshman center from Baltimore, quipped that the players listen to Willard because he doles out the NIL revenue, but Reese said their trust in him runs deep.
“I feel like as a player, you’ve got to put that trust in your coach,” the Randallstown native and St. Frances graduate said. “It’s part of being a team. And as a leader, I’ve got to listen to him, and we’ve got to take something from each other, and that’s what we’ve got to do for us to win. I feel like every good team listens to their team leader, and everybody works together just to do that.”
Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at [email protected], 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun.
NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
No. 4 seed Maryland vs. No. 1 seed Florida
At Chase Center, San Francisco
Thursday, 7:39 p.m.
TV: TBS/TruTV
Radio: 105.7 FM
Continue reading...
