Who's on Maryland basketball's coach list? Is the 'buzz' one-sided? Plus, scoop on Murray, Rice and Gillespie
The latest scoop on the Maryland basketball coaching search and the Terps' two stars.
Dozens of names have been floated for Maryland basketball's coaching search (hot board here), but only a small handful will be considered by the Terps. The program needs to move forward quickly, with its current players uncertain about their future and the next coaching staff needing to add a bunch of talent from the transfer portal.
So, who's on their list and who might not be? What are the plans of Maryland's top two stars? Here's the scoop.
I've confirmed Buzz Williams is on their list. But after conversations with sources at Maryland, Texas A&M, and within the coaching industry, I'm confident that most of the chatter is coming from his side of things. It sounds like Williams isn't very popular in College Station and feels urgency to get out—hence all the effort to connect himself to the Maryland job. He's accomplished impressive things, but most of them were years ago. It's also hard to find someone who knows him and doesn't comment on his unusual personality. My gut feeling is he'll fade as the search continues, but you never know when it comes to Maryland making important hires.
Among the names being floated, Tony Skinn has by far the strongest ties to the area and the most potential to bring top-flight talent to College Park. He's a local native who was an assistant at Maryland under Willard and has proven himself as a top recruiter. He's also significantly younger than Williams and most of the others on the list, which means more upside but less of a track record to build confidence on. He is under serious consideration.
A reliable source told me that Maryland had not reached out to UConn assistant Luke Murray as of Sunday morning but is aware of him and could add him to the list. A source said Murray would be very receptive.
Maryland associate head coach David Cox is also expected to get an interview. Cox is well-respected and knows the ins and outs of the job as well as anyone, having served as associate head coach under Willard.
In terms of the players, I wouldn't be surprised to see most of them enter their names in the portal, which is understandable given the uncertainty. Some could withdraw and return to Maryland depending on who the coach ends up being. Only two of them are known high-value commodities, but you need some depth, and it's hard to add 13 guys from the portal.
As for the two stars, I won't be surprised if Gillespie enters the portal—there's been talk about him and Tennessee or Kentucky since long before the Willard meltdown started—and Rice will likely hold off until he knows who the next coach is going to be. You can safely assume Willard is trying to lure him to Villanova.
Lots more to come.
