The Willard Way
Villanova’s Revival Is No Accident
- By: Tom Harkness -
When Kevin Willard left Maryland last spring, the move felt abrupt - even jarring - given the highly publicized and contentious nature of his departure.
After all, things seemed to finally be rolling in College Park. Willard had captured national attention thanks to his “Crab Five” (a play on Michigan’s “Fab Five” from the 1990s), a nickname that reflected his heavy reliance on group of starters which had propelled the Terrapins to a 9th-place finish in the AP Top 25 Poll and earned a four seed in the NCAA Tournament. The opening unit included an NBA lottery pick (freshman forward Derik Queen), a Third Team All-Big Ten selection (Ja’Kobi Gillespie), a breakout star in Virginia Tech transfer Rodney Rice, a talented All-American Athletic Conference guard (Shelton Miguel), and Julian Reese, a four-year veteran of the program.
The Terrapins’ 27-9 record in 2024-25 surpassed Willard’s previous coaching high of 25-9 at Seton Hall in 2015-16. Despite the success, Willard bolted at season’s end for the head coaching job at Villanova; the former Big East powerhouse had parted ways with Kyle Neptune after a 54-47 record and no NCAA Tournament appearances over three years.
And what a decision it’s been.