Who me? Willard downplays criticism by unhappy Maryland as he takes Villanova job

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And the damage done was … nothing.

Willard landed at a Villanova program — that while it floundered for three seasons without an NCAA Tournament appearance under former coach Kyle Neptune — still has elite status within reach with deep NIL coffers and a whopping payout ahead courtesy of the proposed upcoming House settlement. Maryland forged ahead by plucking Buzz Williams away from Texas A&M. He has also coached at Virginia Tech, Marquette and New Orleans. One could argue him as another mercenary coach in it for the payday.

Williams bounced on to a new gig. Just like Willard. Just like so many successful coaches in March — consider, there are two of four coaches already who won a game in the tournament — and have moved on to a new, presumably better job with deeper pockets.

Willard understands why he caught some heat.

He publicly campaigned — pleaded, really — during Maryland’s run to the Sweet 16 for more from the university and athletic department for his Big Ten program.

More of everything — “fundamental changes,” he called them — that really came down to more money, so much more, being funneled into basketball. Willard wanted Maryland to share its plan for revenue sharing with athletes and questioned how the Terrapins could ever be a “top tier” program as the race in college sports to outspend for players and all the adjacent bells and whistles nearly rivals professional levels.

“I think some of my comments during the NCAA Tournament probably could have been a little bit less abrasive,” Willard said Wednesday. “Unfortunately, sometimes when my passion for my program, my passion for my players comes out, I get a little excited. The only thing I’m going to say is, normal fans just don’t understand what went on.”

And for those at Maryland with hurt feelings, “I just think it’s time everyone moves on.”

In fairness, it’s been two or three days.

Willard expressed concerns with the direction of Maryland’s program on the eve of the Terps’ opening game in the NCAA Tournament. He had not signed an extension before the tournament, a matter complicated when Maryland athletic director Damon Evans bolted the program for the same job at SMU.

“Everything I said during the press conference was because I loved Maryland. I was very passionate about my job,” Willard said. “Very simply, all I wanted to do was try to get the best for my players and best for the program. I’m going to do the same thing here at Villanova. My comments were just about having an opportunity to try to make Maryland the best program we could make it.”

He should get what he needs at a program that was a perennial Final Four contender and won two national championships under Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright.

A court settlement that would require colleges — for the first time — to pay athletes billions for their play is set for approval next week. Many schools have said that most of the up to $20.5 million they’ll pay out to their athletes as part of the $2.8 billion House settlement would go to football and men’s basketball players.

At Villanova and other Big East programs, the bulk of that war chest is going to men’s basketball.

“If you understand the House settlement and cap space and all that stuff, I think the Big East is really situated in a unique situation where they’re probably never going to have to worry about the cap,” Willard said. “I think football conference schools or football-centric conferences are going to run into the fact that if you have $16 million to football, you only have a $3 million cap. The Big East you just don’t have that issue.”

Willard said all the right things about fitting in on his first few days on the job. He watched the women’s team play in a postseason tournament and met with the men’s team while they played in Las Vegas in the College Basketball Crown. Willard schmoozed with donors, worked the transfer portal and — like any new employee at a company — filled out HR paperwork.

He even tipped his cap to the “special culture” created within the program by Wright, threw his support behind the Big 5, and was professionally polite by saying he wanted to build on what “Kyle and his staff” has done over the last three years.

Yet, he acknowledged, it was time after three seasons without the tournament at Villanova to “get everyone excited again, get everyone engaged again.”

Wright endorsed Willard — his long-time Big East rival while Willard coached at Seton Hall — and former Wildcats openly supported the new coach on the Main Line. Josh Hart, a 2016 national champion with Villanova who now plays with the New York Knicks, also said Willard was the right coach for the Wildcats.

“I hated playing against him because he was a hell of a competitor, had a tough team, a physical team,” Hart said. “He’s going to bring that back to Nova. Super excited to have him at the helm. Nova Nation should be excited. He’s for sure that good. He’s had success everywhere he’s been. The way his teams fight, play, compete, that’s what you want.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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