Maryland has hired Seton Hall’s Kevin Willard as its next coach, the school announced on Monday.
The news of Willard becoming a lead candidate at Maryland was first reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports on Friday.
An introductory press conference for Willard is scheduled for Tuesday.
Willard has been rumored as a candidate for several openings over the last few seasons due to the job he’s done at Seton Hall. He led the Pirates to five NCAA tournament appearances in 12 years, and it would have been six if it were not canceled in 2020. Willard led Seton Hall to a regular-season title that year, as the Pirates finished with a 20–9 record and were ranked in the top 25 for most of the season. Overall, he led the Pirates to a 225–161 record over his 12 seasons, following a 45–49 stint with Iona from ’07 to ’10.
Willard takes over for Mark Turgeon, who resigned as Maryland’s coach in December after a slow start to the season for the Terps. The pressure on Maryland to compete in the Big Ten is immense, and while Turgeon consistently brought the school to the NCAA tournament, he was not able to capitalize on the talent that he recruited and take Maryland to the next level in conference play and on the national level.
Since winning the national championship in 2002, Maryland has made only two Sweet 16 appearances and has not advanced any further. The athletic department is hoping that the hiring of Willard will propel the school to greater heights.
