The Maryland Terrapins had their deepest run in the NCAA Tournament in nearly a decade this season, reaching the Sweet 16 before ultimately falling to a Final Four-bound Florida Gators team. Unfortunately, in the eyes of ESPN host Scott Van Pelt, the team’s deep run was ruined by how Maryland head coach Kevin Willard handled his eventual exit to Villanova.
Willard’s future was a constant talking point throughout Maryland’s NCAA Tournament run, fielding a number of questions from reporters about whether he was entertaining other offers.
Every step of the way, Willard deflected questions aimed at his future, instead attacking the media members who posed the questions while putting on the facade that he would stay at Maryland if his desired changes around the program were met.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, reports continued to pile in linking Willard to the vacant Villanova job, which we now, of course, know he accepted on Sunday.
Van Pelt, who is a Maryland graduate and a die-hard fan of all things Maryland athletics, offered his take on Willard’s departure on Tuesday’s edition of his podcast, the SVPod, alongside Stanford Steve, outlining how he is more upset with how Willard handled his departure than he is about him actually leaving.
“Of course, Kevin Willard can go to Villanova,” said Van Pelt. “Of course, you can go back to your Big East roots. Of course, if it is better for your family. We’re savages, but we’re not soulless savages. If it’s better for your family, of course. But maybe you don’t take a giant s*** on the front steps on the house you have lived in for the last three years. You don’t do damage to the University and program where you have been for three years. And you don’t take the efforts of the people behind the scenes who have poured their hearts and souls into this for free, for you to try and fill in the gaps. And tell them, ‘Nah, nah, I love this University and I just want it to be great. And I am anal and I’m an a-hole and I just want this program to be the best it can be.’
“Maybe you don’t tell those people that to their face repeatedly when everyone in the industry is saying to me… ‘Scott, why are you guys wasting your time. This is done.’ Everyone in the business knows it, he’s gone. This year was so much fun. And Kevin Willard was a big part of that. Did an awesome job in the portal, I praised him. Did an awesome job with the team, the analytics, the approach, going a little faster, this that and the other thing. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Unfortunately, the entire thing got sabotaged and hijacked by a two-week-long storyline that wouldn’t go away, no matter how much he tried to deflect or go on with (Kevin) Sheehan locally.
“He did the ‘As of now, as of right now…’ Kevin did a great job asking very pointed questions. That’s the part that’s really really hard to not allow to bother me. Because I know the people involved. And because I was very vocal in saying that I agreed with him. He should get those things, he was not wrong. But what really troubles me is asking good and decent people that busted their a** on your behalf to jump through hoops to give you the things you say you want, knowing full well, nothing they give you will be enough, because you are gone.”
On Kevin Willard leaving Maryland for Villanova: pic.twitter.com/2t1dbrQQSf
— SVPod (@_SVPod) April 1, 2025
Van Pelt’s grievance is crystal clear here. He wishes that Willard had just been honest about his desire to leave for the Villanova coaching job in the weeks leading up to his eventual departure.
We saw former McNeese State head coach Will Wade do exactly that throughout his team’s run in the NCAA Tournament, candidly outlining how he was in negotiations with NC State before ultimately accepting the job once McNeese State was knocked out of the tournament in the Round of 32.
Willard took a much different approach, instead largely setting Maryland fans up for disappointment by putting on an act for both his players and fans, that he may stay.
Maybe Willard truly didn’t know that he would for sure be leaving for the Villanova job until Maryland was already out of the NCAA Tournament. But on paper, it sure seems like Van Pelt, and any other Maryland fan for that matter, have a valid reason to be upset with Willard.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.