Within 24 hours of the send-off of former Terrapin men’s basketball coach Gary Williams, Athletics Director Kevin Anderson seemed to have a successor in place.
But following media reports, such as those from ESPN 980, on mid-day Saturday that Arizona coach Sean Miller had reportedly accepted the position and was set to be introduced Monday, Miller instead agreed to an extension to remain as Wildcat coach late Saturday night, forcing Anderson to look elsewhere.
Anderson said Friday he wanted the search process to move quickly, but it has only become messy since. According to reports, several big-name coaches have removed their names from consideration for becoming the eighth coach in Terp men’s basketball history, notably Villanova’s Jay Wright, Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon, Butler’s Brad Stevens and Notre Dame’s Mike Brey.
As of yesterday, reports had surfaced indicating that Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon was under heavy consideration for the job.
Anderson declined to comment on the coaching search Friday, opting to talk solely about Williams and his impact on the program and university. Still, he willingly emphasized what he saw as the vacancy’s strong national standing.
“It’s a top-five job,” Anderson said. “It’s Maryland. It’s Maryland basketball. Look at the rich history. The reason I’m here is because of the rich history. It’s a top-five school. I was at a great place at West Point, and it took something as good or better for me to leave, and that’s why I’m here.”
Williams certainly agreed.
“If this wasn’t a good job, I wouldn’t have been here,” Williams said. “I did have some opportunities to go other places. This is a great job because of the university, No. 1, and also because of the type of people that are around that you deal with on a day-to-day basis.”
Although he’s been the face of Terp basketball for more than two decades, Williams said he would not play a prominent role in the coaching search for his successor, leaving that to Anderson. Anderson did say Williams had given him a list of recommendations.
“He’s already talked to me,” Anderson said. “He’s given me some great suggestions, and we’ll go on from there.”
No one knows the job better than Williams, who had his own insights on what it takes to succeed in College Park.
“Every team in our league is trying to do the same thing we are,” Williams said. “You need to be able to compete. There are a lot of great competitors out there, and that’s what you need here.”
While Williams doesn’t plan to be visible around the program in the coming weeks and year, he’s looking forward to welcoming his successor.
“I’d like to see someone who accomplishes a great deal in the future,” Williams said. “You find out as time goes by that anything you do benefits the university. Whatever the new coach does with the program will help this university. I have a ton of confidence that that will happen.”
Much of the buzz immediately following Williams’ sudden retirement Thursday centered on the quality of the now-vacant Terp job. Given the region’s fertile recruiting grounds, the team’s membership in the competitive ACC, its deep fan support and top-notch facilities, many experts regarded the Terps’ position as one of the top 10 or 20 in college basketball.
Still, the list of candidates who have declined interest in the job continues to grow. The opening likely came at an inopportune time, with many coaches entrenched in their positions, but Anderson seemed confident he would find a worthy replacement for Williams.
“I don’t believe it’s going to be a long process,” Anderson told The Washington Post yesterday. “We’re doing our due diligence, making sure we’re going to hire the right person.”
ceckard@umdbk.com
