Kevin Willard Says It's Time 'Everyone Moved On' amid Criticism After Maryland Exit

Kevin Willard didn't want to dwell too much on the past during his introductory press conference Wednesday as Villanova's new head coach.

His old employer, Maryland, worked quickly to appoint Buzz Williams as his successor, and he said that should be the focus now.

"All I'm going to say is that Maryland just got a great coach in Buzz," he told reporters. "I'm really happy for them, and I'm super excited to be in a great basketball conference here. And I just think it's time that everyone moved on.”

March should've been a month of celebration for Terrapins fans. The men's basketball team made the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2016. Instead, speculation about Willard's future overshadowed the team's results in the Big Dance.

Coaches can't necessarily control the churn of the rumor mill, but Willard did his part in helping the contractural drama take center stage.

Before the tournament tipped off and in the midst of reported negotiations with Maryland, the coach cited the need for "fundamental changes" and preempted the announcement of athletic director Damon Evans leaving for SMU.

Days after the 72-71 win over Colorado State, Willard then gave the impression he'd be sticking around but didn't say anything definitive. Once the Terps were eliminated, he didn't provide any additional insight into his mindset.

Once Willard's deal with Villanova was finalized, fans in College Park were probably happy the saga was over. Anger at his handling of the whole thing was also part of the reaction.

Barry Gossett, a major athletic booster for Maryland, argued to CBS Sports' John Talty that the coach "played us like a drum" and "caused more chaos" that hurt the athletic department.

From the perspective of the Terps fanbase, moving on will be a lot easier if the basketball team returns to the NCAA tournament with Williams at the helm. But that's unlikely to stop them from considering Willard to be persona non grata for a while.