Villanova hires Univ. of Maryland coach Kevin Willard to lead men's basketball

Kevin Willard, the former head coach for men's basketball at the University of Maryland, has been named the new head coach for Villanova University's men's basketball team.

Willard replaces Kyle Neptune, who was fired earlier this month after three straight seasons without an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Welcome to Nova Nation, Coach Willard ✌️@KevinWillard has officially been named the William B. Finneran Endowed Villanova Men’s Basketball Head Coach!

Release: https://t.co/5BYQPcV30W#GoNova pic.twitter.com/hdwh1LliS2

— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) March 30, 2025

In a statement on the move, the university said Willard joins the team after posting 335 victories across 17 seasons as a head coach and led teams to ten NCAA Tournaments across his career.

Most recently, the school noted, Willard guided the University of Maryland to 27 victories, a Top 25 national ranking and a Sweet Sixteen appearance this past week.

“Coach Willard quickly stood out among an impressive pool of candidates during a comprehensive national search,” Villanova University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue said in a statement. “Throughout the process, Coach Willard demonstrated that he has the vision and experience to guide Villanova Basketball in the changing world of college athletics. Beyond his notable success on the court, we were also impressed by his ability to articulate how Villanova Basketball fits into the overarching mission of the University.”

Willard led the Terrapins to 65 victories in three seasons in College Park, including a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.

In 2024-25, he was named the NABC East District Coach of the Year. In his first season at the helm (2022-23), he led the Terps to a 22-13 record, a Top 25 national ranking, and a Second Round NCAA Tournament appearance.

“Coach Willard is an outstanding leader of young men and brings extensive experience and success as a head coach to Villanova,” said Villanova Vice President and Director of Athletics Eric Roedl in a statement. “We are excited about the future of Villanova Basketball under his leadership, and look forward to welcoming Coach, his wife Julie, and their sons—Colin and Chase—to the Villanova community.”

Prior to his tenure at Maryland, Willard coached for 12 seasons at Seton Hall, winning 225 games, including the 2016 Big East Tournament championship at Madison Square Garden that culminated in a 69-67 win over a Villanova team that weeks later went on to capture the NCAA national championship.

The Pirates shared the 2019-20 Big East regular season title with the Wildcats and Creighton in a season that ended prematurely in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is the only coach in Seton Hall program history to post four consecutive 20-win seasons and is second on the program’s all-time wins list.

“My family and I would like to thank the Villanova Board of Trustees, President Father Peter Donohue and Eric Roedl for this incredible opportunity,” Willard said in a statement. “Villanova Basketball has a deep tradition of excellence and a culture that is second to none in college basketball. We are thrilled to be a part of it and join the Villanova community.”

A 1997 University of Pittsburgh graduate, Willard, a point guard, played at Western Kentucky and Pittsburgh for his father, Ralph, who won 336 games as a college head coach across a head coaching tenure that spanned 19 years (1991-2009).

Willard started his coaching career as an assistant under Rick Pitino — whom his father previously served as an assistant coach at Kentucky — with the Boston Celtics and followed the Hall of Famer to the University of Louisville.

After six years as an assistant, Willard was named the head coach at Iona, where he inherited a team that had won just two games in the season prior to his arrival, turning the Gaels into a 20-game winner in his third season.

Willard, a native of Huntington, N.Y., and his wife, Julie, are the parents of two sons, Colin and Chase.

Willard, who succeeds Kyle Neptune, becomes the tenth head coach in Villanova men’s basketball history (1920-present).