In his first radio interview since he was introduced as Maryland basketball’s new head coach, Kevin Willard offered kind words when asked about his predecessor.
“I’m good friends with Mark Turgeon, and I think I think Turge did a really, really good job here. And I think he took over in a really difficult situation where the biggest difference from how you play, as the Big Ten plays much different than the ACC. And I think that that style play, I think what Turge had to do was, he had to adapt very quickly to the Big Ten style of play. And it’s a much different style than I think the way the ACC plays,” he said during an interview with 105.7 The Fan’s Jason La Canfora and Ken Weinman.
The first order of business: talking to the current players about staying, and recruiting new ones.
“It’s always a little overwhelming, because there’s so many things you have to balance. I think the first thing I really am trying to do is just make sure that guys on the current roster, you know, where they stand, and what we’re going to do. And I really want to get to meet them in person. So far they’ve been a really good group to talk to,” said Willard, who inherits a roster that includes eight scholarship players with remaining eligiblity.
“And then you know, I’m really prioritizing my staff, making sure I get the right guys on the staff, not only to recruit this area, but most importantly for the guys that we get, we can develop in the way that we always have. And then it’s been fun. I mean, I’ve talked to so many alumni so far, and so many people have reached out. It’s been a blast from that standpoint. So, haven’t slept much, but you know, it’s OK, you don’t really need that much sleep this time of year.”
