Foxsports: Sources: Maryland's Williams retiring - (updated 5/8)

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/Maryland-coach-Gary-Williams-retiring-after-22-seasons-050511

Updated May 5, 2011 4:11 PM ET

Maryland coach Gary Williams is retiring.

Williams, who has spent the past 22 seasons at his alma mater and won the national title in 2002, will make it official on Friday afternoon, sources told FOXSports.com.

Williams has gone to 14 NCAA appearances in the past 18 seasons, including seven Sweet 16’s.

He has won 461 games in his tenure at College Park. The Terps were 19-14 this past season.

Williams began his head coaching career at American before spending four seasons at Boston College and three at Ohio State.

His career coaching mark is 668-380 in 33 seasons.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/mike-brey-wont-meet-with-maryland-search-for-basketball-coach-continues/2011/05/08/AFrRXHTG_story.html

Mike Brey won’t meet with Maryland; search for basketball coach continues

By Liz Clarke, Published: May 8

Mike Brey won’t be Maryland’s next basketball coach, a source close to the process of finding Gary Williams’s successor said Sunday.

Brey was crossed off the list of potential candidates Sunday before having a conversation with Maryland Athletic Director Kevin Anderson because he’s committed to remaining at Notre Dame following the Irish’s 27-7 season, which earned him Big East coach of the year honors, the source said.

With Arizona’s Sean Miller agreeing to a contract extension that was announced Saturday night, that means Maryland’s search will launch into a new phase on Monday, focusing on a short list of names that haven’t necessarily been bandied about in the frenzied media reports that followed Williams’s stunning announcement last week that he was retiring after 22 years as coach of his alma mater.

“I don’t believe it’s going to be a long process,” Anderson said on Sunday. “We’re doing our due diligence, making sure we’re going to hire the right person.

“We’re just not going to panic and pick somebody who might not be the best fit for Maryland. We’re going to look at the whole person. Here’s what I’m looking for: Someone with most, if not all, of the qualities Gary Williams possessed.”

On many counts, Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon seemed to be that coach. Dixon, who has a close relationship with Anderson, was at the top of Maryland’s initial wish list. But like Brey and Villanova Coach Jay Wright, Dixon didn’t pursue the opening because of his loyalty to his present employer.

“I’m flattered by the interest,” Wright said in an e-mail exchange early in the process, “but I love Villanova!”

Williams’s decision to retire came a shock to those close to him, including his players, many of his peers and Maryland officials. While he has made suggestions to Anderson about who might succeed him, Williams won’t be part of the official search process going forward.

On Monday Anderson is expected to meet with Maryland President Wallace Loh, and a search committee will be impaneled to be in position to review a short list of job candidates once they’re identified.

Williams’s retirement creates the fourth coaching opportunity in the ACC this season (following turnover at North Carolina State, Miami and Georgia Tech) and the seventh in the past two years.

Opinions differ regarding the desirability of the Maryland coaching job.

To many Terrapins fans, it’s among the top 10 or 15 in college basketball and, as such, should attract a big-name coach with a proven track record. Others note the daunting challenge posed by perennial powers Duke and North Carolina, which have combined to win 14 of the last 15 ACC championships. (Maryland snapped that chokehold in 2004).

Maryland, the 2002 NCAA champion, competes in a state-of-the art, on-campus arena, 17,950-seat Comcast Center. While average home attendance declined by 11 percent last season (from 16,792 to 14,910), Comcast Center is widely regarded by visiting teams as a difficult place to play, given the spirited support of Maryland undergraduates.

And under Williams, who thrived on upsetting favored foes, Maryland trailed only Duke in the number of ACC victories over the last 12 years entering last season, which ended with a disappointing 19-14 record overall, 7-9 in the ACC.

Williams spoke passionately during his retirement news conference about the post he was vacating, saying he couldn’t imagine a better job for a true competitor.

“The ACC has taken some knocks the last couple of years,” Williams said Friday. “But check who has won the most national championships the last 10 years. Check who has won the most NCAA tournament games the last 20 years.”

Replacing Williams presents Anderson with his second major assignment in less than eight months on the job as Maryland’s athletic director.

After a two-week search for a successor to football coach Ralph Friedgen (like Williams, a Maryland graduate), Anderson surprised many ardent Terrapins boosters by choosing Randy Edsall, who lacked broad name recognition despite leading Connecticut to a share of the 2010 Big East championship.

In replacing Williams, Anderson will be expected to move more swiftly to ease anxiety among Terps basketball fans and returning players, alike.

wow thats a shocker

If true, it's the end of a great run. I doubt I'll live to see another National Championship. Let the guessing begin as to who his successor is, but I'll throw a name out there. Mike Brey.

Hopefully they hire Pat Kennedy.

Fully tongue in cheek

Hopefully they hire Pat Kennedy.

Fully tongue in cheek

He'll have to work in a new jacket to his contract.

Scuttlebutt is that Jordan Willliams' decision to remain in the draft might have played a factor.

http://twitter.com/#!/CSNBrent

CSNBrent Brent Harris

Story that Gary Williams will retire as Maryland basketball coach.. Source says Gary was ready to retire if Jordan Williams left for NBA

Thank ****in god. I hate gary williams with a passion.

Oh my god. That's my response.

I'm not a Maryland fan, but I think that sucks.

He's one of the people I really like in the college game.

Wow, shocking. 22 years has gone by so fast. I was a junior in college when he took over.

Scuttlebutt is that Jordan Willliams' decision to remain in the draft might have played a factor.

http://twitter.com/#!/CSNBrent

CSNBrent Brent Harris

Story that Gary Williams will retire as Maryland basketball coach.. Source says Gary was ready to retire if Jordan Williams left for NBA

If that's true, then Jordan Williams just pissed off a whole bunch of people.

I can't believe it.....

Maryland BB will take a long time to recover from this.

Gary didn't want to stay. He quit before it got ugly. Next year they wouldn't win more than 4 games in the ACC

I'm a Maryland Grad and Fan....and have been very critical of Gary recently. Mostly for his laziness with recruiting in such a rich talent area.

So, I'll thank him for his service and hope he is around to talk hoops.

Though doing this now hurts the program. I hope they find a young hungry guy who's willing to really work the region.

Gary didn't want to stay. He quit before it got ugly. Next year they wouldn't win more than 4 games in the ACC

It's a shame JW didn't stay because with him I think MD would've been pretty good.

I'm a Maryland Grad and Fan....and have been very critical of Gary recently. Mostly for his laziness with recruiting in such a rich talent area.

So, I'll thank him for his service and hope he is around to talk hoops.

Though doing this now hurts the program. I hope they find a young hungry guy who's willing to really work the region.

Jimmy Patsos?

I'm a Maryland Grad and Fan....and have been very critical of Gary recently. Mostly for his laziness with recruiting in such a rich talent area.

So, I'll thank him for his service and hope he is around to talk hoops.

Though doing this now hurts the program. I hope they find a young hungry guy who's willing to really work the region.

Agree but what pisses me off more is the way the national championship was handled. We didn't even use that a recruiting tool and basically that 1 class after the NC was a epic failure. How do you win a national championship and then 5 years left not even make the NIT?

@andrewsharp Long live Gary Williams, because the only thing better than being mediocre for a decade is being a complete dick about it.

Agree but what pisses me off more is the way the national championship was handled. We didn't even use that a recruiting tool and basically that 1 class after the NC was a epic failure. How do you win a national championship and then 5 years left not even make the NIT?

To be fair to Gary the class after the National Title was very good...on paper.

Unfortunately, a lot of those guys just didn't pan out.

Wow that is shocking. But Gary doesn't like one and done kids, and I bet that rubbed some of the alumni the wrong way because of how he recruited.

If true, it's the end of a great run. I doubt I'll live to see another National Championship. Let the guessing begin as to who his successor is, but I'll throw a name out there. Mike Brey.

The Sports Junkies are very close to Mike Brey and they've been saying for years that MD is the only job he'd leave Notre Dame for.

---------- Post added May-5th-2011 at 08:49 PM ----------

Something just occured to me: Kevin Anderson will be hiring the next coach. :doh:

Sad but necessary. Gary didn't have the recruiting chops to compete with Duke and UNC. Hopefully they can bring in someone who can take advantage of the gold mine that is the D.C. metropolitan area.

I can't believe it.....

Maryland BB will take a long time to recover from this.

They might go 8 years without getting to the Sweet 16.

Gary did a magnificent job and literally saved Maryland Basketball. It could have very easily become an ACC bottom-feeder and never recovered.

On the other hand, I have no idea what he was doing there for at least the last half decade.

Even though the Administration is a mess at the moment, this has to be a really attractive job. You are half an hour from two unbelievably rich basketball cities, you have awesome facilities, and you play in a league that is on tv every single night. It's really puzzled me why they haven't been much much better since the NC year.

Sad but necessary. Gary didn't have the recruiting chops to compete with Duke and UNC. Hopefully they can bring in someone who can take advantage of the gold mine that is the D.C. metropolitan area.

Forget Duke and UNC. He was getting killed by G-Town.

If that's true, then Jordan Williams just pissed off a whole bunch of people.

I'm one of them! I hope the dud goes undrafted. Bum!