Maryland basketball: Kevin Willard offers unusual filibusters at NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
Maryland basketball coach Kevin Willard gave an unusual answer when he was asked about all of the job speculation and Maryland football coach Mike Locksley's comments about it. Well, it was more like an unrelated filibuster than an answer. After a week of drama (recap here), he had no interest in talking about it.
Maryland basketball coach Kevin Willard gave an unusual answer on Wednesday in San Francisco, where he was asked about all of the job speculation and Maryland football coach Mike Locksley's comments about it. Well, it was more like an unrelated filibuster than an answer. After a week of drama (recap here), he had no interest in talking about it.
"I'll be honest—my biggest thing is we've got to stop [Florida star Walter] Clayton. He's really good. He shoots the basketball going left at 48%. Going right, it's like 38%. So really, the last couple days we've been trying to come up with a game plan to stop Clayton. He's one of the best guards in the country we've seen. And fixing our rebounding issues has been top of mind too. So yeah, it's a big problem," he said.
He was also asked about his comments on the Kevin Sheehan show, about how he's been negotiating with Maryland's administration. Same result.
"We're playing Florida. It's a big match. This is all about the Sweet 16. These guys have enjoyed it as much as possible. I've enjoyed it tremendously. I do love this town. Great town, great food. Got to have dinner with PJ Carlesimo last night, which is always a lot of fun."
More below from Willard:
On his use of an analytics firm
"I won't name the company, but I've always been a data guy. Everything you can do to get an edge helps. In the last two years, it's dramatically changed. It's all AI. The company has 50 computers in downtown D.C. There's no human bias. It's not like "Clayton might go this way." The computer grades the game. It's not like Synergy, where a person grades it. This is all AI. When we get these reports—on players in the portal and everything—it's amazing how accurate they are. I'll watch film and grade it myself, and when I compare my notes to the report, it's spot on. It's gotten so advanced that if you don't use it, you're falling behind. For us, it grades our offense—what plays to run for which players, what guys perform better at different times in the game. It's deep. It's been a great investment. Damon was awesome. He met with them and loved it. I think it's helped Locksley in football too. It's something we've invested in, and it's helped us tremendously."On the team's inexperience in the tourney and nerves
"I'm hoping by now that the nerves are gone. The first five minutes of the Grand Canyon game, I was a little nervous because the guys were nervous—besides Ju. The Colorado State game was just a regular, really good basketball game. I thought the nerves had gone away. I'm sure they'll be nervous. I hope they're nervous. It's a great opportunity. Part of life is having opportunities that make you nervous and excited. That's what makes this tournament so unbelievable. You're going to remember being nervous."On Florida's depth
"We're going to have to play all four of our Bigs for sure. They remind me a lot of Michigan State—how they bring four big guys in and just try to wear you down. I think Florida does the same thing. They shoot the basketball much better than Michigan State does. That's the biggest difference. But we're going to have to play all four Bigs. There's just no way Derik and Ju are going to play 36 minutes against this team. They run consistently. They're fresh. They're as good a basketball team as I've seen on film all year."On Reese-Queen:
Ju's been a big brother all year. On the court, he's helped Derik develop tremendously with physicality, getting used to it in the Big Ten. Derek, conversely, has been a great little brother—he's always joking around, always smiling. I think it's really helped Ju enjoy his senior year and really relax".On competing with Florida's dominant rebounding
"We're not going to switch nearly as much as we have. I went back and watched our last three games—the switching has really hurt us tremendously. We're going to try to switch a whole lot less. They remind me of Illinois. Illinois rebounds from the guard spot tremendously big guards. We're going to try to make it a point of emphasis. They score something crazy, like 32% of their points off offensive rebounds. I've never seen anything like that in my life. It's an unbelievable stat. As good as they are at shooting it, as good as they are in transition—you get a stop, and then they punish you on the offensive glass. That's why they're so good. They beat you so many different ways."On Baltimore
"The more time you spend in Baltimore, it gets a really bad rap sometimes, and it's a phenomenal city with great people that love where they come from. They love their sports. And Derik said it—it's not easy getting out of Baltimore. So, when you see someone coming out of Baltimore having the success that he has had, Baltimore kids take a lot of pride in where they come from, as they should because it's a great city with great people."On what makes Reese a good rebounder
"I don't know, to be perfectly honest. You'd have to ask him that. He gave a boring answer—I don't know. I'd say probably playing one-on-one with Angel all those years. They both have tremendous motors. They're both highly competitive. Ju is really strong. As a big guy, especially in AAU and high school basketball, the only way you get the ball is if you set a pick-and-roll or get a rebound. Ju has always had a good feel for where the ball is going to go. That's the sexy answer—he has a really good feel for where shots are going to miss. He doesn't just run to the same spot every time. He understands who's shooting it and where it's going. Rodney shoots it a little flatter than Kobi. Kobi's misses are a little bouncier. Rod's are a little harder. He kind of understands that."Those comments from Locksley on Willard's comments last week
"I'm an old-school DC guy. Family business is family business. I have no comment on any of those things. It doesn't pertain to my business or what I need to do," he said. "As I've stated since I've been here, I've gotten the resources I've needed to build a foundation. I've learned in 33 years of coaching — there are no utopias. Every family has their issues and dirty little secrets. I'm of the opinion those are handled individually, behind closed doors, within family ranks."Breaking down the game
Via Cody Nagel:"It's hard to imagine Florida blowing Maryland out on Thursday. The Terrapins boast the 10th-ranked adjusted defense (KenPom), force 14.1 turnovers per game and haven't lost by more than six points all season. However, after its SEC Tournament championship run, Florida looks like a team of destiny and is battled-tested following a two-point win against UConn in the second round. The Gators also have a huge rebounding advantage, ranking No. 3 in total rebounds (41.9) compared to the Terrapins at No. 103 (36.7)."
