In a swift play to fill a coaching vacancy, the University of Maryland has picked up Buzz Williams, the former Texas A&M head coach, to lead their men's basketball team. The move comes after Kevin Willard hops to Villanova, leaving Maryland to need a seasoned leader. Williams, a two-time SEC Coach of the Year with a knack for steering teams into the NCAA Tournament limelight, is now set to take on a new challenge in the Big Ten. He's poised to join a select club of coaches who've snagged 100 wins at four different Division I schools, a feat previously achieved by Maryland's own Lefty Driesell, as reported by UMTerps.
Bringing 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and 13 20-win seasons under his belt, Williams boasts a storied 18-year tenure as head coach. This latest season, he led Texas A&M to a respectable 23-11 record and a second-round stint in the NCAA Tournament. Williams' departure was met with good wishes from Texas A&M's Director of Athletics, Trev Alberts, who acknowledged his contributions in a statement detailed by WMAR2News. Alberts said, "We would like to thank Buzz for his years of service heading up our Men's Basketball Program. We wish he and Corey and their family all the best moving forward."
Known for his dedication to coaching and teaching, Williams once served as a guest lecturer for the School of Military Science at Texas A&M and co-taught a Sports Management class as recently as Fall 2024. Off the court, he's sought to make an impact through "Buzz’s Bunch," a community service initiative connecting children with special needs to basketball. Williams and his wife Corey have also endowed scholarships at his former schools. Williams notably was a head coach who didn't play college basketball, according to his detailed history shared by UMTerps.
The university plans to introduce Williams formally at a news conference today. As Maryland gears up for this "new era" in basketball, there's a sense of eager anticipation to see if Williams can replicate his prior success and perhaps propel the Terrapins toward a promising future despite recent player departures and program uncertainty.
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