Maryland basketball's anonymous $10 million donor is Kevin Willard's "dinner buddy"
The Terps coach talked about the donor who pledge to give the program a windfall this week.
It was the best week of the season for Maryland basketball. The Terps went 2-0 on a critical road trip against Indiana and Illinois and then received a $10 million donation from a mysterious donor.
They have a chance to solidify their momentum against Wisconsin on Wednesday ( (20% off Maryland-Wisconsin tickets with checkout code "IMS" at SeatGeek), in what should be a packed Xfinity Center. While Rodney Rice said he likes playing on the road better, he said the game should be "lit".
Coach Kevin Willard discussed the potential the donation brings to the program, the challenges that the Badgers present, Ja'Kobi Gillespie's shooting and more.
Willard on why he loves coaching Rodney Rice
"He's got a great love for the game. He loves working on his game, he's a great teammate, he's just been really fun to coach," Willard said. "His plus minus has been off the charts over the last two weeks. The difference when he's on the court versus off the court has been huge. It's just been trying to surround Derik [Queen] and Julian [Reese] with guys who can really shoot."
Why he's not surprised by Ja'Kobi Gillespie's strong shooting
"It was when we went to the portal, obviously, after Jahmir graduated, one of the biggest keys was bringing a guard in that the catch and shoot was about 40% from the three-point line. He was one of the highest ranked catch and shoot guys in college basketball last year," Willard said.
"So how he is shooting is really not a big surprise. I think he's kind of done that his whole career."
How important is the $10 million donation the Terps just received
"One of the biggest draws about this program is everyone talks about the DMV and the recruiting stuff, but we have 400,000 unbelievable alumni. And the person that gave this gift is, is a monster, monster fan of the program and has been for a long, long time. I call him my dinner buddy on the road so, so to speak. But we have so many great alumni at this university, and we have a ton of very passionate alumni about the basketball program and this particular person just wanted to give a legacy for the program. I think it shows just the history of the program. It really has nothing to do with me. He doesn't like me that much. I think it has more to do with how great this program has been.
The challenges Wisconsin presents
"Wisconsin has much bigger guards. Tonje is obviously a six-year guy, big guard, Klesmit's a senior, big, physical defender. Crowell is an older guy, I think we're going to need as balanced of an attack as we've had over the year, because they really are balanced," Willard said.
"Tonje against UCLA hits five threes in the first half. Crowl the other night against Ohio State dominated the paint. They are really balanced. I think Greg did a great job in the portal, and he also has guys who have been in this program, and they're as balanced and as good a shooting team as we'll see probably all year."
How Wisconsin's sharpshooter John Tonje can hurt Maryland
"I think one of the things that really makes him tough is that he scores in transition more than he scores in the half court. He's really good at, like, just understanding who's guarding him. You could tell he's an older guy. If he has a smaller guy on him, he's going to drive him hard right and use his physicality and his size to him. If he has a big guy on him, and the big guy tries to give him space, he's just going to shoot over him," Willard said.
"He shoots the ball at such a high clip. Obviously, I don't coach him, but he just seems like he's a very smart basketball player. He doesn't seem like he just understands who's guarding him. Reminds me of an old NBA vet that just doesn't get sped up, doesn't get frustrated, and he's just going to kind of take advantage of what the defense gives him. You know he was there's games where he doesn't shoot the ball for five or six minutes, and next thing you know, he has, he has 14 quick points. I mean, he's just, he's that talented player."
Who he thinks could be a surprising pro on Maryland's roster
"Tafara has been very patient with understanding. Sometimes his minutes haven't been where he probably wants him, but he knows through practice and the way we work and the way we have individual improvement, how much confidence we have in him. And I think Tafara has added 25 pounds since he's got here. You know, he's worked really hard on his game."
"And I think he's a pro. I don't think he's there yet, but I think he has the ability. He can shoot the basketball; he can put the ball on the floor."
The vibe of this year's team
"You know, I like, I like, I really like their attitude, to be honest with you, I think they understand kind of where we are. They understood how tough January was going to be, as many games that we had to play in January," Willard said. "So, they really kept a great attitude the whole time. With a couple of tough losses on the road, they kind of just, I think it was their attitude more than anything, that was really refreshing."
"They had to have great attitudes going into the Nebraska game, and then obviously at Illinois they understood the game plan really well. They had a good feeling. It's just been, it's been a good vibe all year with this group. They're fun to be around. They're fun to coach, good group of guys."
