Villanova’s Willard jokes about firing staff at halftime of NCAA Tournament loss
By JAMES MADDEN
Villanova head coach Kevin Willard was interviewed by TNT’s Lauren Shehadi during the first half of Villanova’s first-round loss to Utah State, where he sarcastically said he would fire his staff after being outscored in the paint 16-2, at that point in the game.
“I’m gonna fire my staff,” Willard said at the half of the 86-76 loss. “Yeah, I am. Because we’ve given up 8 points on underneath out-of-bounds defense. The only thing I’m gonna do is fire them and get a new staff.”
During his postgame press conference, Willard added context to the viral in-game interview and his reaction to online criticism.
“It’s a joke,” he said. “I don’t care. Welcome to my life. It’s a joke.”
Villanova’s early exit comes just one season after Willard led Maryland to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to the eventual national champions, Florida, in San Francisco. Just days after the loss, Willard left to become the next head coach at Villanova.
Follow James Madden on Twitter
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
The post Villanova’s Willard jokes about firing staff at halftime of NCAA Tournament loss appeared first on Zagsblog.