Maryland’s head coaching gig was not vacant for long, as the school announced Tuesday that Buzz Williams has been hired as the next head coach of the Terrapins.
Williams, 52, comes to College Park from Texas A&M, where he was 23-11 this year en route to a tournament berth and 120-73 in six seasons, with three straight tournament berths after being the NIT runners-up in 2022.
"It is an honor and privilege to be named the head coach of the University of Maryland men's basketball team," Williams said in the school’s release announcing the hire. "I want to thank President Pines and Colleen Sorem for this opportunity to lead one of the most prestigious programs in the country. In leading this program, I promise to uphold the history of Maryland basketball and make Terp Nation proud with the men who represent this institution."
"We are thrilled to bring a coach of the caliber of Buzz Williams to the University of Maryland," said interim AD Colleen Sorem. "His incredible record of success at three prominent basketball programs speaks for itself, but we were equally impressed with his tireless work ethic and his dedication to building a program the right way. He embraces the high expectations here at Maryland and we are all excited to get started on this new era in Maryland basketball."
Williams will be officially introduced on Wednesday at noon in a press conference at Xfinity Center, there officially continuing a journey that has seen him have 13 20-win seasons and 11 NCAA Tournament appearances in 18 years as a head coach.
He started his head coaching journey at New Orleans in 2006-07, going 14-17 before leaving for an assistant position at Marquette. He was elevated to head coach there in 2008 and spent six seasons with the Eagles, going 139-69 with five Tourney appearances, then led Virginia Tech to a 100-69 record and three tourney appearances in five seasons from 2014-19.
"Maryland Athletics is an important part of the University of Maryland community," said President Darryll J. Pines. "Finding the right person to lead Maryland Men's Basketball was critical to the continued success of our program, both on and off the court. With an exemplary record of competitive success and a demonstrated commitment to providing leadership and development to our student-athletes, Coach Buzz Williams is the ideal coach to lead us forward. We could not be more thrilled to welcome him to College Park."
Williams replaces Kevin Willard, who departed for Villanova on Sunday after three seasons at the helm.