Willard: ‘No circumstance’ at Maryland in the middle of AD exit
Mar 21, 2025, 09:00 PM ET SEATTLE– Maryland coach Kevin Willard bristled at reporters’ concerns even as his players commemorated an 81-49 win over Grand Canyon in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday.On Thursday, Willard freely spoke about his disappointments with the school, the changes he wants to make to the program and his relationship with athletic director Damon Evans as the two negotiate his future, amid reports that Evans is headed to the exact same job at SMU and Willard is a candidate for the Villanova job.When the concerns continued game day, the coach became noticeably frustrated after a reporter discussed “the circumstance” when asking players about their victory, which came by the largest margin for the Terps in an NCAA competition game. Willard himself said a day previously that Evans is “probably going to SMU,” adding that the move made it tough for the coach to work out an agreement extension.Editor’s Picks
1 Related Later On Friday, SMU revealed that it had employed Evans.
“There is no situation,” Willard said. “The only scenario is you guys and Twitter, and I can’t control you guys and I can’t manage Twitter, so there’s absolutely nothing I can do.
“I’ve spoken to these guys,” Willard said, gesturing to his players in the interview space. “These guys understand precisely what’s going on. I have actually been open with them. I have actually been honest with them. They know exactly what’s going on.”
Gamers shook their heads and smiled ruefully at the questions. The fourth-seeded Terps advanced to the second round on Sunday against No. 12 seed Colorado State.Willard compared an
outlet that covers his program to the tabloid TMZ a day after his initial comments, which came during a pre-practice news conference Thursday. He told press reporters that he was in settlements with Evans and was seeking numerous modifications to increase the prominence of the program, consisting of increased NIL cash. Kevin Willard scoffed at reporters’questions following Maryland’s win Friday, a day after he openly spoke about his aggravations with the school and changes he feels are required to make. Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images The comments, which were extremely candid in the usually buttoned-down world of college athletics, made headlines throughout several media companies. Willard noted that he wanted to keep his team in New york city City for an extra night this season near the holidays, but was informed the school might not pay for the cost. “Whatever I state, you’re going to write whatever you want to state anyways,”Willard said.
“That’s why this is a waste of my time. … There’s absolutely nothing else to discuss. You guys simply write whatever the hell you desire, right? I don’t offer a(crap). I actually don’t. I’ll probably get a letter from the NCAA. “Info from The Associated Press was utilized in this report.