Kevin Willard Talks The Villanova Way, Summer Workout Impressions

New Villanova head coach Kevin Willard made a podcast appearance alongside Rob Dauster of The Field of 68 on Friday, July 11, describing the takeaways from his first three months leading the program.

Willard described what he thought of the roster he built after five weeks of summer workouts and gave his first up-close impressions of The Villanova Way. He even shed more light on the controversial exit from Maryland that led him to the Wildcats, calling the situation a “clusterf***” after former Terrapins athletic director Damon Evans departed for SMU, raising question marks to the future of Willard’s own program.

The Villanova Way

Kevin Willard talked again and again about the Wildcats’ proud history, calling it one of the biggest reasons that persuaded him to take the job. He described how close program legends, players and coaches alike, remain to Villanova following the conclusion of their careers. For instance, Willard said that former head coach and two-time national champion Jay Wright often comes to the Wildcats’ practices… if the weather permits. “Below 80 degrees you can see Jay around,” Willard said. “Above 80 degrees he’s down at the Shore.”

Willard waxed poetic about the Wildcats’ proud history from era to era, whether head coaches Rollie Massimino and Steve Lappas or players like Kerry Kittles and Alvin Williams. He went on to say that he plans to have those former stars play a role during his summer meetings: in establishing a team culture, he wants the players he coaches to understand exactly what it means to uphold the Villanova Way.

“I think the first thing is just embracing the history,” Willard said. “We’re having former players start to come in in the second part of our summer session… I think that’s really important for kids to understand, even though you might only have them for eight months, for them to understand the longevity and the greatness of this program… it’s one of the major reasons why I took the job.”

First Impressions

Transfer portal pickups have shown a preference for seniors and graduate students in recent seasons because of the ability to plug in and play mature athletes with a better grasp of the college game, but Kevin Willard said he tried to shy away from rentals in filling out his roster. Instead, he targeted younger players who he’d have a better chance of retaining, a theme he’s referenced in other recent media appearances.

“I really took the job with the intent of long term growth, but also winning right away,” Willard said. “I think we have some great young kids, some sophomores, juniors that people aren’t talking about, which is great, and then the older guys I think are gonna blend in and help the younger guys.”

Toward the end of his appearance, Willard gave a snapshot of his anticipated playing style during the 2025-26 season, including his desire to give most of his roster consistent playing time.

“It’s gonna be a fun team to watch, Willard said. “We’re gonna play ten, 11 guys, be aggressive on the defensive end. It’s a good group of guys.”