By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
The Villanova Wildcats have hired Kevin Willard as their next men’s basketball head coach. He replaces Kyle Neptune, who was fired after three seasons.
Neptune was in a tough spot as he had to replace a legend in Jay Wright following his sudden retirement in 2022. Neptune went 54-47 at the school but failed to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Recently, it was released on Friday that Maryland boosters believed that Willard would take this job.
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Willard was the favorite for this position almost from the beginning of the search. Following the Maryland Terrapins loss on Thursday night, he claimed he did not know what he wanted to do.
The No. 3 Florida Gators eliminated the No. 11 Terrapins in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. The Gators won 87-71.
Maryland reportedly offered the 49-year-old a $5 million contract. However, he turned down that job.
He reportedly wanted stability within the Athletic Department. But right now, the Terrapins could not offer that to him as former Athletic Director Damon Evans departed College Park, Maryland to accept the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Athletic Director job.
Willard — the son of former coach Ralph Willard — spent three seasons as the Terrapins head coach. He arrived in College Park, Maryland in 2022.
This is a return to the Big East for Willard. He previously coached in the conference when he was the Seton Hall Pirates head coach from 2010 through 2022.
At Seton Hall, Willard went 225-161. He also went 105-113 in the Big East play.
While being the Terrapins head coach, he went 65-39. He also went 32-28 in Big Ten play.
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This season, the Terrapins went to the Sweet 16. This was the best finish for a team in his career in the NCAA Tournament.
The former Big East Co-Coach of the Year in 2016 guided the Pirates to five NCAA Tournament appearances. However, the best his team performed in the tournament was the Round of 32.
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