COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Buzz Williams wasted no time addressing the evolving landscape of college athletics at his introductory press conference as Maryland men’s basketball coach.
After acknowledging his family, he emphasized that change is here to stay. Amid the changes, he stressed that the core principles of a team remain unchanged.
“Just talking about the business of college athletics, it has been a rapid change at a rate that none of us have ever seen,” Williams said. “Being on a team, there's something that doesn't change. There's something that's life changing about being on a team.
“We all know that being on a team grows us up. Being on a team helps flush out selfishness. Being on a team helps us to learn how to lead ourselves and lead others better.”
For his first team at Maryland, Williams faces a significant rebuilding task. Following Kevin Willard’s departure, a wave of players entered the transfer portal, leaving only three on the roster: Chance Stephens, walk-on Lukas Sotell, and projected NBA lottery pick Derik Queen.
The 52-year-old said he met with the team this morning, including players who have entered the transfer portal.
He emphasized that while coaching changes are often discussed from the staff’s viewpoint, players don’t always get the chance to share their experiences. His goal was to give them a platform to offer advice, acknowledge the instability of the past few days and assure them that he would support them — whether that meant staying at Maryland or finding opportunities elsewhere.
Williams said that he hasn’t done any recruiting in the transfer portal over the past 32 hours, but hoped that he’d be able to tackle it later on Wednesday.
“I need to evaluate who's on the team. I need to hire staff, but we need to be very thoughtful about who joins our team, not only for this year's team, but does it make sense for now and in the future,” Williams said.
The Texas native comes to College Park after stints at New Orleans, Marquette, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M, compiling a 373-228 record and 12-11 record in the NCAA tournament. He took Marquette to two Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight, going to another Sweet 16 at Virginia Tech.
Yet, he has never stayed at one program longer than six years.
“I was at American for four years, Boston College four, Ohio State three. Then I came here for 22. I hope Buzz does the same,” Hall of Fame coach Gary Williams said. “I think this is a place where you can have the rest of your career.”
Williams said he was unaware of what transpired in Willard’s press conferences, as Texas A&M was in the midst of an NCAA Tournament run at the time. He mentioned that President Darryll Pines later informed him, catching him off guard. Williams also acknowledged the rarity of opportunities like the Maryland job.
Interim athletic director Colleen Sorem said Maryland evaluated 30 coaches during the hiring process, which lasted less than 48 hours after Willard’s departure to Villanova before selecting Williams. Pines said they watched videos of Williams coaching, delivering interviews and giving speeches to teams in the evaluation process.
During the press conference, a video of Texas A&M guard Manny Obaseki praising Williams after the Aggies’ NCAA Tournament loss was played — a clip that Pines said he watched during the hiring process.
“He is committed to doing things the right way,” Sorem said. “He is committed to providing a high standard of leadership, and he is dedicated to personal responsibility and accountability. Buzz Williams is a good man.”
