Maryland Basketball: Kevin Willard skirts question on Mike Locksley's 'behind closed doors' stance
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Another day, another interesting soundbite from Maryland head coach Kevin Willard. As the Terps are preparing for the Sweet Sixteen matchup against 1-seed Florida on Thursday, Willard is once again facing questions about his future with the basketball program.
Although he recently indicated that he'd like to remain as the head basketball coach at Maryland, the coaching vacancy at Villanova, along with the a whole host of issues Willard says need to be addressed in College Park, is fueling speculation that he may be on his way out.
On Tuesday, head football coach Mike Locksley was asked about Willard's approach to discussing those issues so openly with the media. Locksley made it clear that he feels he has the resources he needs with his football program, while also expressing that any issues with those things should be handled behind closed doors. His response was a stark contrast to what we've heard from Willard in recent days.
"I have no comment," Locksley said. "I've learned in 33 years there are no utopias. As I've stated, since I've been here, I've gotten the resources that I need to build a foundation. Every family has their issues and their dirty little secrets, but I'm of the opinion those are handled individually, behind closed doors."
His full answer https://t.co/zDtpQjhyzr pic.twitter.com/GqwHySXIFU
— Sam Jane (@sam_jane230) March 25, 2025
On Wednesday, Willard was asked to respond to Locksley's 'keep it behind closed doors' assessment. Willard dodged the question.
Maryland head coach Kevin Willard dodges a question about NIL/Revenue Sharing, which he’s been critical of over the past week and has led to rumors about his future in College Park:
— Wesley Brown (@W_Brown21) March 26, 2025
“I think our biggest thing is we need to stop [Walter] Clayton [Jr.]…”
(Q: @kylegoon) pic.twitter.com/QFhecCbWwE
Not surprisingly, Willard's response - or lack thereof - led to even further speculation about his future in College Park. It's worth noting that Willard recently indicated he has no interest in talking to the media these days, and his non-answer on Wednesday may be the result of that. But with the coaching vacancy at Villanova hanging out there, along with Willard's ongoing reluctance to give a firm answer on his future at Maryland (at least publicly), it looks like the speculation will continue to be a part of Maryland's tournament story.
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.
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