“Villanova hires Kevin Willard as their new men’s basketball head coach. Are you happy, mixed or disappointed?” That is the question I set out to get answers to after the news broke that a new era in Villanova basketball was set to begin. Polling more than 100 Villanova students painted a striking picture of the overall mood on campus and attitudes on the future.
Of the more than 100 students polled, 70 (67%) of them responded with “happy,” 23 (22%) of them responded with “mixed,” 10 (9.6%) responded showing indifference and one student responded with “disappointed.”
A common theme among those polled was simply being glad to be out of the Neptune era. Many saw that alone as reason enough to be happy about the coaching change. While thoughts on Willard himself were cautious, with one student saying Willard was “overhyped,” the idea of change itself was seen as an opportunity for improvement.
The frustration of missing the NCAA tournament three years in a row is a palpable feeling among students.
“Seeing Kevin Willard as the new coach was definitely a breath of fresh air,” junior Mitchell Matella said. “Coming to Villanova in 2022, I did not expect to buy more schools than the number of March Madness tournaments we made it to. After this season of failure with Neptune, I am looking forward to a new chance with Willard.”
While a disappointing season can be disheartening for fans of a national team, collegiate teams have a greater sense of pressure since students will only have the experience of being both students and fans for a limited time. Indecisiveness in the face of disappointing results can quickly mount tensions among a team’s fan base. The general sentiment among Villanova students seems to agree with this. Many say they are happier that Neptune was fired than that Willard was hired, but Willard still presents a renewed possibility for success.
“I am really excited about this new hire. Having watched Villanova and Big East basketball growing up, I also had a chance to follow Kevin Willard through our battles with Seton Hall,” senior Jack Bakey said. “I think with him at the helm we can expect to become a very strong defensive team that likes to push the pace during games.”
Junior Hayley Wilson agreed, describing her excitement and hope for this new era.
“I was so excited when I first found out Willard would be the new coach,” Wilson said. “I just remember feeling a surge of hope and optimism for the basketball program that I hadn’t felt in years. He built a great team with Maryland and I also realize that he has a lot of players and coaches that may follow him to Villanova so he can build a really good program here.”
While some are optimistic in the face of inevitable changes, other students noted the controversy surrounding Willard’s exit from Maryland.
“I’m very interested to see how Kevin Willard will be. From what I’ve seen, he seems to have a pretty good record, but he also has a bit of a reputation in Maryland,” junior Benny Caiola said. “I just hope he’s got a good attitude because that’s really central to this team.”
Maryland native and freshman Casey Bennet responded with a “mixed” reaction to Willard’s hire.
“I’d say that my fear with Villanova hiring Willard is that he will leave our program in a few years just like at Maryland, which could set us back even farther than we are now,” Bennet said. “He was a good coach at Maryland but when the team was playing at its best, he showed a lack of loyalty for his team, putting himself ahead of his players.”
While the future is uncertain, hitting the reset button on the present situation seems to be a decision well-taken by the Villanova community.
“I expect Villanova basketball to look a little different than we are used to, but I also think that this change is coming at a perfect time,” Bakey said.
Whether or not the Kevin Willard era brings with it a much-needed rebound for the Villanova men’s basketball program, one thing is for sure: Villanova students will be going bananas one way or another.
