'Not being truthful': Former NBA player says Kevin Willard has his reputation for a reason
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Maryland fans have likely moved on from the Kevin Willard saga that dominated headlines back in March, but he's still finding ways to make news. Earlier this week, Inside Maryland Sports shared comments from former NBA center Etan Thomas. His son, Malcolm, recently transferred from Villanova to Dayton, and Thomas didn't provide a glowing review of Willard.
"Then, Coach Neptune, the coach who recruited Malcolm gets fired an in comes Coach Kevin Willard with a reputation of let's just say not being truthful and honest and trustworthy but we wanted to give him a chance and not go by what everyone else says, and......let's just say he has that reputation for a reason."
Former Cuse/NBA center Etan Thomas shares his feelings on new Villanova coach Kevin Willard. Thomas’ son Malcolm, a former top-100 recruit at DeMatha, just transferred from Villanova to Dayton. pic.twitter.com/Q3bdPo5r2Y
— Inside Maryland Sports (@Terrapins247) April 24, 2025
It's a pretty safe bet that the assessment from Thomas is in line with how most Maryland fans feel about Willard.
As the Terrapins were pushing for a championship in the NCAA Tournament, Willard's conduct during press conferences and interview appearances received far more attention than anything the Terps were doing on the court. Although Willard initially indicated that he wanted to remain in College Park, he also went on to highlight several issues he had with the program, particularly as it relates to NIL. That's not necessarily a bad move from a head coach who's fighting for resources, but the timing of doing so during the NCAA Tournament was odd to say the least.
Ultimately Willard accepted the head coaching position at Villanova, as was rumored for weeks before it became official.
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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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