Maryland hires former Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard as men's basketball coach

The school announced Monday morning that it had hired Kevin Willard as its next head coach.

He arrives in College Park after 12 seasons at Seton Hall.

The athletic director said they were excited about the future of Maryland basketball with Kevin leading the way. Kevin has had great success, winning conference titles and leading his teams to the NCAA Tournaments. He has a good record against Big Ten teams, as evidenced by the fact that he has made a habit of scheduling challenging opponents. He is a native New Yorker and has lived in the Northeast for a long time. We welcome Kevin, his wife Julie, and their sons Colin and Chase to the Maryland family and we look forward to the next great chapter in Terrapin basketball history.

Mark Turgeon resigned as Maryland's governor in December, and since then, Willard has been considered a favorite in the search.

I have always been a fan of Maryland basketball. Being named head coach of one of the nation's premier basketball programs is a tremendous honor. I know how Terp fans feel about this team, having coached against them several times. I accept the high expectations. Terp Nation will be proud of the basketball team as we build winners on the court and in the classroom, and I can promise them that we will work to make them proud. Julie and the boys are excited to join the family.

After playing college ball at Western Kentucky and Pittsburgh, Willard went on to become an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics under Rick Pitino. He spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Louisville before taking the head-coaching job at Iona. In 15 seasons as a head coach, he has been to five NCAA tournaments and won a share of the Big East regular-season title in 2020.

The Pirates missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in three years last season as they played themselves out of the mix. The Pirates started the season 9-1 and then went on to win eight of their last 10 games. Their season ended in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

In the past seven seasons, the Pirates have finished in the top half of the Big East. The Pirates had an overall record of225-161 in 12 seasons.

His father was a head coach for nearly 40 years at Western Kentucky, Pittsburgh and Holy Cross.

Turgeon stepped down from his position as Maryland's coach in December after 10 seasons. The Terrapins won a share of the Big Ten regular-season title in 2020 under Turgeon, but they only advanced past the first weekend of the tournament once.

Danny Manning was named interim head coach. Maryland finished just 15-17 and 7-13 in the Big Ten after a preseason top 25 ranking.