After coaching the University of Maryland men’s basketball team for 10 seasons and leading the Terrapins to five NCAA tournament appearances including one sweet 16 appearance, Mark Turgeon resigned as head coach. Danny Manning, who previously was the assistant coach under Turgeon, was named interim head coach for the remainder of the current season.

During Turgeon’s tenure as head coach, Maryland basketball produced talented players and future NBA prospects including Kevin Huerter, Jalen Smith, and Aaron Wiggins. Turgeon was known as being a great recruiter, bringing in these young talents, but was never known as an outstanding game coach. After a rough start to the season with a record of 5-3, Turgeon was getting a great deal of criticism and eventually his family couldn’t even come to games because it got so bad. 

Turgeon and Maryland basketball fans had the idea that UMD might be ready to move on soon because his contract extension didn’t strain the school as much financially in case it wanted to move in the near future. Maryland fans and basketball fans in general believed that Turgeon resigned with the thought that if he didn’t, he would have been fired. This is actually wrong with the decision being completely his choice. 

Reports of UMD being interested in different coaches came out every day and had fans all over the country confused and anxious. Fans even believed at one point that Danny Manning could be hired to be permanent head coach. “I thought that we (Maryland) were going to hire Coach Manning to be the permanent head coach because of what happened in the Big Ten tournament but I was wrong,” junior Parker Leibowitz said. 

Maryland officially hired Kevin Willard on Mar. 21, just after a few days of his name being in rumors across the internet. Willard previously was the head coach of Seton Hall University located in South Orange, New Jersey. During his time at Seton Hall he racked up five NCAA appearances and one shared Big 12 regular season championship. 

Willard was one of the favorites to land the job back in December and eventually got the opportunity. Maryland athletic director Damon Evans and President Darryll Pines welcomed Willard to the Maryland family with open arms. “I go to the games with my family all the time and I think that the hiring was pretty good as I think Coach Willard is going to bring a toughness to the team that they for sure was missing this past season,” junior Zoe Heller said. 

Other collegiate coaches, reporters and analysts weighed in on the hiring via the Maryland basketball instagram and had nothing but great things to say about the coach and the person. Willard signed a seven-year contract worth $4 million a year, so he will get the chance to lead the Terps back to their glory days under Gary Williams.