Gary Williams retiring at Maryland

Indeed, excellent recruiting territory in Baltimore-Washington, but Williams missed out on a lot of talent because of his disdain for dealing with AAU people ... or at least that was what I took away from a big piece the Washington Post did a couple years ago. A new coach without those same biases could make things very interesting.

 

That's not what Van Pelt said a couple months ago, when he lamented the fact that the hoops team couldn't draw because the fucking nerds they started letting in are all at the library.

 

Wait, he would have coach John Bagley as well!

Did Adams follow Bagley?

 

Whatever.

 

Yes, Williams coached Bagley. And in the early '80s, when he was coach at BC and Calhoun was coach at Northeastern, and they played games at the old Roberts Center, it was amazing theater. Boston used to be one hell of a college basketball town. Mike Jarvis was at BU back then. Hell, Rick Pitino was at BU in the early '80s.
Gary had a wonderful career, and his well-earned retirement makes me feel very old indeed.

 

This is easily a top gig. What's not to like? Some idiot on Twitter was going off on how it's not a great gig, but I disagree. You could do a lot worse than as the head coach at Maryland.

 

So there'll be one fewer sweaty douchebag on a bench in the ACC. Good riddance, Gary.

 

Not a top gig? No, it wasn't when Bob Wade came in and somehow transformed the Len Bias tragedy into another colossal mess, but after 20 years of work, Gary Williams has made College Park into something the alums and staff at the school can look to with pride.

The ACC. The D.C.-Baltimore area to recruit. A nice, shiny home facility. Raucous home fans. If that isn't a good gig, where IS a good one? C'mon, Poin ... let's hear about how many are so much better.

The N&O's Caulton Tudor weighs in, complete with the recruiting dance:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/05/05/1178444/tudors-take-williams-made-a-difference.html

Now, with every shred of respect due to Gary, I wonder if anyone is going to start looking at the new AD at Maryland. Kevin Anderson only fired Ralph Friedgen, the reigning ACC Coach of the Year in football. Now Gary Williams. Is Brenda Frese next?

Let me reiterate to Headbutt and others: I HOPE that Gary is doing this on his terms. But given the messes that Anderson has already created, what's one more?

 

Is this "easily" a top 10 gig, nationally?

Great recruiting territory, good school, great basketball conference.

In which (most years) everyone starts the season in third place before a single game is played. Including Maryland.

Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky (depending on tolerance for the fanbase), Kansas, UCLA, Illinois (speaking of great recruiting territory) . . . Arizona should be a better job than Maryland . . . I'm stuck at seven, and I don't count a Gonzaga as a better job because there's a clear ceiling there . . .

OK, Maryland is a top 10 job. I stand corrected.

 

I hope so, Headbutt. For all the "Sweat, Gary, Sweat" signs being retired throughout the ACC, his stoic manners away from the court, his hyper-intense style during games, he should go down as one of the ACC giants.

For the way he coached. For the way he took kids that so-called ACC experts went "WHO?" before blossoming (Juan Dixon and Greivis Vazquez). For sticking to his guns. For never being a phony. I don't care who takes his place in College Park, Gary will be missed for a lot of the right reasons.

And talk about turnover in the ACC, do you realize that Leonard Hamilton is now the longest-tenured coach in the league not named Krzyzewski? I feel really old right now ...