New coach Kevin Willard understands the ‘expectation’ for Maryland men’s basketball

COLLEGE PARK — New coaches oftentimes try to manage expectations for their teams.

They just started this new, exciting job, and they want Year 1 to be seen as a transition period. But Maryland basketball fans — a passionate bunch that was blamed, in part, by some for the resignation of former coach Mark Turgeon — have high expectations (maybe too high) for their Terrapins.

For new men’s basketball coach Kevin Willard, he said he understands that loud and clear, stating at media day Thursday that competing for a Big Ten title and a national championship shouldn’t be seen as a lofty goal in Year 1. 

“No other expectation is allowed in this program,” said Willard as he looked up at Maryland’s 2002 national championship banner at the Xfinity Center. 

Willard is coming to Maryland from Seton Hall, where he spent 12 years and posted 20-plus win seasons in six of his final seven campaigns. However, he is taking over a program coming off its worst season in nearly 30 years, as the Terrapins’ 15-17 record last year was their first below-.500 campaign since 1992-93. 

Maryland hasn’t made the Sweet 16 since 2016 or the Elite Eight since 2002 — the year Gary Williams led the Terrapins to their first and only national title. 

Like any new coach in today’s NCAA, Willard relied heavily on the transfer portal to beef up his roster, bringing in four new players from other programs. The best newcomers are Jahmir Young, a 6-foot-1 guard who scored 19.6 points per game last year at Charlotte, and Don Carey, a Prince George’s County product who was a captain at Georgetown. 

“Maryland has been a seamless transition for me,” Carey said. “I wanted to be comfortable, somewhere with a similar style of play. And playing for a coach like Willard where I’m familiar with him makes it even easier.”

The transfers will join a team with two established players in senior forward Donta Scott (12.6 points and 6.2 rebounds in 2021-22) and Hakim Hart (9.9 points). 

“Just having him back was really huge,” Willard said about Scott, who he added lost 30 points this offseason. “He’s been an unbelievable leader, lights out. It started from my first meeting with him. He loves this place, and he wanted to graduate and play his last year here.”

The unranked Terrapins will open the season at home on Nov. 7 against Niagara. Their first marquee matchup is at Louisville in the Big Ten-ACC challenge on Nov. 29.