Villanova Transfer Malcolm Thomas Leaves Due to Kevin Willard?

Former Villanova freshman forward Malcolm Thomas committed to Dayton on Thursday, April 24, little more than a week after transferring away from the Wildcats. Upon news of his decision, Thomas’ father, Etan, posted to Instagram describing his son’s reasons for transferring… and cited new Villanova head coach Kevin Willard as a major reason why.

A former three-star recruit who stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 215 pounds, Malcolm Thomas won the dunk contest at Villanova’s annual Hoops Mania kickoff event, showcasing his athletic ability, but never made it into a regular season contest for the Wildcats.

Etan Thomas, a nine year NBA veteran and former first round pick out of Syracuse, said that Malcolm Thomas’ freshman season didn’t go as planned after Eric Dixon elected to return for a sixth year — they’d expected him to declare for the NBA draft, opening up playing time for Malcolm — but credited Dixon for his role as a mentor towards his son.

“Eric really took Malcolm under his wing,” Etan Thomas posted. “They worked out outside of practice a few times every week. So no it wasn’t what we planned, but he made the most of it.”

Kevin Willard Under the Microscope?

Things changed with the Wildcats’ coaching switch, evidently.

“Then, Coach Neptune, the coach who recruited Malcolm gets fired and in comes Coach Kevin Willard,” Thomas’ post continued, “with a reputation of let’s just say not being truthful and honest and trustworthy but we wanted to give him a chance and not go by what everyone else says, and…….. let’s just say he has that reputation for a reason.”

The full text of the social media post can be found here. Willard’s unorthodox departure from Maryland, replete with controversial press conference answers about his future amidst a Sweet Sixteen trip for the Terrapins, raised eyebrows as it took place.

Etan Thomas’ post leaves plenty unsaid (and this is far from the first time a player or their parents weren’t happy with playing time promises or a coaching change), but it is important to note that Willard’s leadership style has helped scare off at least one former player, a point of concern for some Villanova fans after seeing the coaching change saga play out.