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Report: Maryland focusing in on one candidate for next head basketball coach
Published:
Maryland has reportedly found its primary target for its head basketball coaching vacancy.
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports is reporting that Maryland is “zeroed in” on Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard to be the next leader of the Terrapins. That means the program is moving on from Danny Manning, who served as the interim this season after Mark Turgeon’s sudden decision to step down.
Willard led Seton Hall to the NCAA Tournament this year but the Pirates were bounced in the first round by TCU. The finished the season with a 21-11 record.
Sources: Maryland is zeroed in on Seton Hall's Kevin Willard to be its next head basketball coach.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 19, 2022
Willard, 46, has been the leader at Seton Hall for over a decade, taking over for the 2010-11 season. In 12 years, the Pirates have compiled a 225-161 record. His teams have reached the NCAA Tournament five of the last six seasons (not counting the COVID-19 impacted 2020 postseason) and made an NIT appearance in 2012.
Despite Seton Hall’s success in the regular season, there have been some struggles in the postseason. The Pirates have just a 1-5 NCAA Tournament record under Willard, with the lone victory coming in 2018.
Prior to taking over at Seton Hall, Willard was the head coach at Iona for three seasons.
Turgeon had been the head coach at Maryland since the 2011-12 season, guiding the Terps to five March Madness bids and a B1G regular season title during his time. The team ended this season with a 15-17 record and a 7-13 mark in B1G play.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB