When Ray Leone attended his first Maryland basketball game, he left with chills.
As the Terps faced Michigan, Leone was shocked by the number of alumni present. He was in awe after watching the Maryland pride video at halftime. Shortly after, he created a new goal.
Leone, who grew up in Severna Park, aspired to wear Maryland gear as either an athlete or coach. He tried to fulfill the goal more than 20 years ago when he interviewed to become Maryland’s women’s soccer coach, but he didn’t land the position.
“I was probably not ready for the opportunity,” Leone said. “I went for it, gave it a shot and I didn’t look back. I didn’t come away from that interview feeling negative at all.”
When Maryland’s athletic department asked Jonathan Morgan to resign after a six-win 2015 season, though, Leone received another opportunity.
His memories of the passionate fan base prompted Leone to take a second audition, this time earning the title of coach and leaving the Harvard team he led for the past nine years. After five NCAA Tournament appearances and five Ivy League Championships with the Crimson, Leone will work to return the Terps to the national stage.
“It’s hard to explain,” Leone said. “The pride is so strong in this state and I’ve never seen anything like it. I had this opportunity [to coach in Maryland] and I’m at the stage in my career where I said ‘I’m really ready for one more exciting challenge.'”
Of the candidates to fill the vacancy, Leone stood out to the returning players who greeted him. Midfielder Hope Gouterman and her teammates asked Leone a question about how he would set up a formation. Without hesitation, Leone took cones out of his suit pocket and explained his coaching style, leaving the players confident Leone would be an ideal fit.
“He said ‘Hey, I’m always prepared,'” Gouterman said. “I was like, ‘This guy’s got it.'”
Leone’s preparation was also clear as Maryland experimented with more than three different formations in the spring.
“He’s ready, and we’re ready for anything he wants to do,” midfielder Kate Waters said. “It’s great to see that he’s prepared and has a bunch of different things up his sleeve to do.”
Despite the team’s shorthanded roster this spring after losing 10 players to graduation, Waters said Leone hasn’t doubted the progress.
“He would do anything to be here, and likewise you can tell that everyone is passionate because of the drive he shows for this team,” Gouterman said. “[The coaching staff] is willing to help everybody get better. When you have people like that, you want to get better for them.”
Leone has won 282 games, which ranks 21st among active Division I coaches, in more than 20 seasons as a collegiate head coach.
Before coaching at Harvard, Leone led the women’s soccer program at Arizona State for six years. Under his leadership, the Sun Devils were ranked No. 9 in 2004, a record for the school. Leone preceded his stint in Tempe, Arizona, with seven years as an assistant and head coach at Clemson.
Each time one of Leone’s former programs played at Ludwig Field, Leone left with the same impression.
“I’ve often thought ‘We should be doing it the way Maryland is doing it,'” Leone said. “They cross promote from one team to another. The way it’s set up with the fans on top of the field, it’s such a tough place to play, and I definitely want to recapture that.”
Leone, who grew up a Maryland fan without any alumni in his family, supported the Terps in his time as a soccer player at UNC Charlotte. His allegiance frustrated the North Carolina basketball fans when they watched games together, but it never bothered Leone.
He’s always been attracted to the Maryland brand.
“You go about your business and you move on with your lives and you don’t think you could ever go home,” Leone said. “To be able to be out at Ludwig Field is a real thrill for me.”
