Villanova HC Kevin Willard’s Misunderstood Humor Goes Viral… Again

Villanova Men’s Basketball trailed 22-13 early in the first half of their Round of 64 loss to Utah State on Friday, March 20, the Aggies’ offense clicking thanks to baseline out-of-bounds plays and 16 points in the paint. Sideline reporter Lauren Shehadi asked Wildcats’ head coach Kevin Willard about Utah State’s early success during a TV timeout, drawing a characteristic quip from Willard.

“I’m gonna fire my staff,” Willard deadpanned.

“Not now!” Shehadi responded, leading Willard to double down.

“Yeah I am! Because we’ve given up eight points on underneath out-of-bounds defense,” Willard said. “The only thing I’m gonna do is fire them and get a new staff.”

Willard fielded questions about the exchange, which quickly went viral, after the Wildcats’ season came to an end. Once again, he leaned into the bit. “I’m probably going to have to make some changes to my staff, just because of how bad we were,” Willard said.

When pressed about it, however, he admitted “it’s a joke.” The reporter continued, mentioning the criticism Willard received for the interview, which elicited another candid response from Villanova’s head coach.

“I don’t care. Welcome to my life,” Willard said. “It’s a joke.”

“Somebody that you can go to about anything”

Wildcats’ guard Bryce Lindsay, who led the team with 25 points and made six of 11 three-point shots, described Willard’s sense of humor. “He’s a funny guy. I’m still not always sure when he’s trolling or being serious,” Lindsay said.

A Baltimore native, Lindsay grew up around New Orleans Pelicans forward Derik Queen, who played for Willard at Maryland last season. Lindsay said that after he joined the Wildcats, Queen tipped him off about Willard’s wit.

“I feel like I caught on very quickly in the summertime. Derik Queen, he’s my guy,” Lindsay said. “He told me about how Coach Willard would be trolling a lot, so I got used to it pretty quick.”

Villanova junior Tyler Perkins said that despite his head coach’s acerbic sense of humor, Willard knows how to moderate his wit.

“He’s funny. He makes jokes all the time, but he definitely knows the fine line between making jokes and being serious,” Perkins said. “He’s somebody that you can go to about anything, someone that you want to go in his office and just chill and talk to. He’s a great person and a great coach.”