Willard addresses future at Maryland as March Madness opener looms
SEATTLE (AP) — As rumors swirl about his future, Maryland coach Kevin Willard expressed concerns with the direction of his program on the eve of the Terrapins' opening game in the NCAA Tournament.
Willard, reportedly a candidate for the top job at Villanova, has not signed an extension with Maryland. Complicating matters is that Maryland's athletic director, Damon Evans, is 'probably going to SMU,' Willard said Thursday.
Fourth-seeded Maryland opens the NCAA Tournament on Friday against No. 13 seed Grand Canyon in a West Region game in Seattle.
Willard said Evans gave him a 'term sheet' on Sunday, but he didn't sign because his focus was on the team. Evans has since been dealing with Willard's agent.
'He's probably going to SMU. So it's kind of tough to negotiate with somebody that's maybe not here, but I need to make fundamental changes to the program. That's what I'm focused on right now,' Willard said. 'That's why, probably, a deal hasn't got done. Because I want to see, I need to see fundamental changes. I want this program to be great.'
Big Ten tournament semifinals.
'You know, I wanted to spend an extra night in New York this year to celebrate Christmas with my team, and I was told that we can't do that because it's too expensive,' he said. 'So I don't know how we can be a top tier program, and I can't spend one extra night in New York because it's too expensive. So there's fundamental things I'm fighting for, for my team and my program.'
Willard said he addressed the rumors about a possible move with his players — but he seemed to indicate that he was staying put in College Park.
'I'll say this, this is not so much about me,' he said. 'I want to make sure that whatever we do going forward, we're successful, and we're successful at the highest rate. So I'm confident that we'll get things done. It's a little difficult right now, I'm not going to lie, but I'm confident that no matter who we're negotiating with at the end of the day, this program is going to be in a great spot.'
Evans did not immediately respond to a request for comment through Maryland's athletic department.
Among the changes Willard wants to see is with Maryland's plan for revenue sharing with athletes. He said a majority is expected to go to the football team.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Aaron Rodgers Fuels Marriage Rumors with Ring Seen in Steelers Contract Photo
Aaron Rodgers continues to fuel rumors that he is married The NFL star can be seen wearing a dark-colored band on his left ring finger in a photo celebrating his new contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers The photo comes after Rodgers revealed in April that he was in a "serious relationship"Aaron Rodgers is once again sparking rumors that he is married. After previously making several public outings wearing what appeared to be a wedding ring on his left hand, the NFL star appeared in a new photo sporting a dark-colored band on his left ring finger. On Saturday, June 7, the NFL and the Steelers shared the photo in a joint Instagram post celebrating Rodgers' new contract with the Pittsburgh team. "Officially official ✍️," the two football organizations captioned the post. The photo shows Rodgers, 41, smiling as he rested his left hand on the paper contract and held a pen in his other hand. He repped his new team by wearing a black cap with a yellow Steelers logo. According to CBS Sports, the quarterback inked a one-year deal worth $13.65 million, $10 million of which is guaranteed. Rodgers first revealed in December 2024 that he was dating a woman named Brittani while appearing on The Pat McAfee Show. At the time, he was discussing how he had shifted from mall shopping for Christmas gifts to ordering them online. 'There was one package left for my girlfriend Brittani that hadn't showed up yet,' he said, casually dropping his relationship status. 'I was waiting on this to show up, it showed up today.' A.J. Hawk, McAfee's co-host and Rodgers' former Green Bay Packers teammate, then jokingly asked, 'Spears?' prompting Rodgers to clarify, "Not Brittany Spears, no, this is Brittani with an 'i.' " He also noted that Brittani does not have social media. Later in the conversation, when McAfee suggested that Rodgers was "in love" with Brittani, the athlete smiled and declared, "It's a good feeling, boys. It is." Months later, during another appearance on the show on April 17, Rodgers shared that he was in "a serious relationship" and his priorities were shifting. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "I'm in a different phase of my life," he explained. "I'm 41 years old, I'm in a serious relationship. I have off-the-field stuff going on that requires my attention. I have personal commitments I made not knowing what my future was going to look like after last year, that are important to me." Rodgers first ignited rumors that he had gotten married when he stepped out to the annual Barnstable Gala last month, on the eve of the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, sporting a new accessory — a dark-colored band that appears to be the same one seen in the recent contract-signing photo. So far, Rodgers has remained mum on the marriage speculation. However, his friend Hawk appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on May 6 and admitted that even he was confused by Rodgers' ring. "No update from this situation," he said, adding, "Surprisingly enough, I did not press him on this." "To tell you the truth, I don't know if I have any answers on that situation. He's very private and mysterious when it comes to things like that, and this is definitely one of those, for sure," Hawk added. The former linebacker also noted that his friend "seems very happy" these days while reiterating, "But not a lot of clarity on this situation, I'm not going to lie." Rodgers was previously engaged to actress Shailene Woodley. The pair ended their relationship in April 2022. Read the original article on People
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Red Sox call up top prospect Roman Anthony 2 days after 497-foot grand slam in minors
BOSTON (AP) — Roman Anthony was in Worcester, waiting for the 275-mile bus ride that would take him to Allentown, Pennsylvania, for his next Triple-A game, when WooSox manager Chad Tracy told the team their departure would be delayed because someone might need to head an hour east to Boston instead. 'I didn't really think anything of it, to be honest,' Anthony told reporters in the Red Sox dugout at Fenway Park before making his major league debut Monday night against the Tampa Bay Rays. 'I was just kind of waiting around in the food room with a few of the guys, and then all of a sudden he came out and just said, 'Hey, you're going to the big leagues,'' Anthony said. 'From there on out it's kind of been a little bit of a blur. But it was amazing. You dream of that every single day. So, to finally hear it was definitely awesome.' Anthony, who played right field and batted fifth, received the biggest cheer of all during pregame introductions and then a standing ovation when he came to bat in the second inning, with a runner on first and nobody out. He popped up to left field and got another cheer as he returned to the dugout. A 21-year-old second-round draft pick who went viral over the weekend when he hit a 497-foot grand slam in Worcester, Anthony was the top-rated prospect in the minors before his call-up. He batted .288 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs in 58 games in Triple-A this season. His accomplishments in the minors had Red Sox fans clamoring for his call-up, especially with the team languishing in fourth place in the AL East, 8 1/2 games behind the rival New York Yankees. But while fellow prospects Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer got the call, the Red Sox remained patient on Anthony until an injury to Wilyer Abreu left them needing another outfielder. 'It's been a long time coming,' said Mayer, who was called up about two weeks ago. 'It's been talked about for a very long time, and it's kind of crazy that today's the day that we're all going to share the field together in the big leagues. I'm super excited. I think we have a really good team, and he's just another great addition to that.' Cora said he noticed something was wrong with Abreu after Sunday's game against the Yankees. When the team realized it would be more than a day or two, they decided to make the move and put Abreu on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain. The Red Sox made room for Anthony on the 40-man roster by designating first baseman/outfielder Ryan Noda for assignment. 'We're trying to win ballgames,' Cora said. 'The kid has done an amazing job getting ready for this moment. We're excited. It's a big day for the organization.' Anthony was perhaps known only to the most dedicated fans before his homer on Saturday that was the longest measured this year by Statcast, which tracks the major leagues, Triple-A and the Class A Florida State League. Since Statcast started tracking in the majors in 2015, only five home runs have gone farther, including Nomar Mazara's 505-foot shot in 2019 for the Rangers. After getting the promotion, Anthony had time to call his parents and siblings and an old baseball coach and gather most of his equipment — his own glove, a single bat and a borrowed pair of cleats — before driving down the MassPike to Boston. He arrived in Boston a few hours before game time and by 7:30 p.m. he was taking aim at the historic red seat that marks Ted Williams' 502-foot homer that is the longest ever at Fenway Park. 'It happened quick. I think no matter when that call comes, nobody's really expecting it,' he said before the game. 'Obviously a little bit of a short notice. But, you know, better than being on the bus to Lehigh Valley right now.' ___ AP MLB:
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
'I always expect to be in the NCAA Tournament': Texas A&M coach previews season ahead
'I always expect to be in the NCAA Tournament': Texas A&M coach previews season ahead After a tremendous kickstart to the Bucky McMillan era at Texas A&M, the first-year head coach sat down with college basketball insider Jon Rothstein to talk some ball this afternoon. McMillan comes to Bryan-College Station, Texas, after leading Samford to historic success over the last few years, including the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2000. Now, he is looking to lead the Aggies' men's basketball program to new heights with no signs of slowing down his preparations anytime soon. Here is everything McMillan said on Rothstein's podcast on the CBS Sports College Basketball YouTube channel: Q: How did Henry Ward McMillan III become Bucky? "I was called that since birth, my dad's name was Bucky. I don't know why it's not on my birth certificate because they knew they were going to call me that. My dad was called that so I don't know. If it wasn't so hard to get a name change, I might do it. My dad was named after a baseball player named Bucky Harris back in the day so there you go." Q: Does life feel like a movie right now for Bucky McMillan? "It's gone so fast, I haven't had time to really think, but I mean, basketball is basketball. Someone asked me that the other day. Coaching at Texas A&M is awesome, but still the same feeling I had coaching JV basketball in terms of treating every job like that's your group, that's your team and let's go. I know when I coach JV basketball, this is the world I live in and this is the most important thing in my sports world. Now, the SEC is the most important thing in my world and Texas A&M being my focus." Q: If your life were a movie, who would play Bucky McMillan? "The guy from Punk'D. Ashton Kutcher that guy." Q: What was it like connecting being the Samford head coach, to then getting offered the job at Texas A&M? "There's a lot of similarities in Texas to the Alabama people, like real chill, down-to-earth people. I love College Station. It's just an easy town to kind of acclamate to. People are welcoming and it's great being undefeated. When you're undefeated everybody loves you. I haven't had to pay for a dinner yet so I need to push this season back as long as possible. It's a great place and I think it's got everything it takes to win in every sport here and have success in every sport. The new era of college athletics, I don't think every university is going to be able to do that. They're going to have to pick and choose. This place can compete for championships in every sport in the SEC I believe." Q: When the job opened, did you say to yourself I think this is one I am going to have a chance at? "You never know. In the South, you never know how the dominoes will fall. I know it's one that I would have to take and I'd want. I talked to our athletic director, obviously the coaching carousel moves and there's opportunities you're involved with. My athletic director at Samford, a guy named Martin Newton, who's a big guy in my life. There's been jobs I've asked him about he said besides the money, I don't know about that one for you. When we talked about Texas A&M, he was like, I don't want to see you go, but man... that's a place you could go and I think you'd be really, really successful there. When he kind of gave me the go-ahead that would be a place where I'd fit and it fit me, I was all-in to being out here." Q: What exactly is "Bucky Ball"? "When I was coaching high school basketball in Alabama back in the day, all the coaches in the suburban schools they played in the 30s and 40s. Really slow, ran the flex, no shot clock, shoot it after a minute and I was committed to, if I coached, I would never do that. We were going to trap until they shot the ball, shoot as quickly as possible, take a lot of threes and so a lot of old-school coaches in the area use to say that as a negative. Like it wasn't disciplined if you played fast and shoot threes. We started winning a lot and it became known as a positive in the community where I lived in. Basically, up-tempo basketball and shoot a lot of threes. You see more and more of it today, but 15 years ago some people thought a three-point shot would be a bad shot. We've always been a high-volume three-point shooting team, up-tempo team. Q: What coaches did Bucky McMillan study to learn his own offensive system? "I played for a great college coach in Duane Reboul who was the coach of Birmingham-Southern, they were in the Big South at the time. He won two NAI National Championships before that. He was kind of the same way, early three-point shooting before that was popular, spacing the floor and so I studied him a lot. There's some college coaches now that are my competitors, I can't say too much about. I can't hurt myself in the recruiting game, but there's some guys that I'm friends with in the business, one of them had a similar route to me. Nate (Oats) at Alabama, I'll go ahead and say it. I've watched them analytically and we're kind of into the anayltics before the analytics were the analytics." Q: What are the impressions of the roster you've put together at Texas A&M? "We did as good as we could possibly do when we got hired. Our staff, when we got everybody in place, supporting us and the way we had to go about this. I am not saying that this will be the best team we will ever assemble, but I will say is I am very proud of what we were able to do based on when you're looking at the supply and demand chain at the time we got hired." Q: What most excites you about the talent you've assembled in College Station? "That we're a good shooting team. That's what I see when I watch them. We have a lot of good shooting and when you have that you're capable of beating anybody. You want more than that obviously or you're capable of losing to anybody, but I certaintly think it's a team you'll see make 20-plus threes in some games this year. If it became between one or the other, like a team that could lose to some teams but also a team that could knock off some the best team in the country, give me that team because we all know to make a run to the tournament you're going to have to pull that. We know the goal of what this is. Basketball is a postseason sport, a tournament sport. If we can do our job getting to the tournament, it's your path. You just got to have one of those two games where you shoot it extremely well and these guys we have their capable. We have multiple guys that I think could shoot over 40% from three-point land." Q: What are your feelings knowing that you're a couple of months away from being a head coach and competing in the SEC? "It's a great league to be in because of what you said. You're goal is to get in the NCAA Tournament and you're goal is to win the NCAA Tournament. If you can compete at a high level in the SEC, which was the best league in college basketball last year and arguably the best league ever assembled, you got a chance certaintly when the majority of the teams are making it to the tournament. If you're in this league, iron sharpens iron. If you can compete at a high level in this league it's special, but if you get in the tournament after being in this league, you're going to be tournament ready." Q: What crumbs can Buck McMillan share on Texas A&M's non-conference schedule for the 2025-2026 season? "We're going with the 8-5 model, so we will play five Power Five teams total and eight non-power fives." Q: Based on the personnel that you've assembled after one shooting workout, is making the NCAA Tournament a realistic goal for the Aggies coming up here in 2026? "Yeah I certaintly think it is. People forget sometimes, A&M was playing for an SEC Championship and in the championship game. Like you said 14 of the 16 teams got in, and this year it's just going to be about this team coming together. I always expect to be in the NCAA Tournament. When I was in mid-major I was expecting to be in the NCAA Tournament. I dang sure to be in it at Texas A&M and I expect when we get there, to win there. I think all these guys we recruited expect the same way." The finishing touches on the Texas A&M men's basketball schedule are yet to be implemented, but the newly transformed roster is geared up and raring to hit the court in Reed Arena. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
