Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Phone:
- (973) 761-9070
- Alma Mater:
- Pittsburgh '97
**2020 USBWA DISTRICT II COACH OF THE YEAR**
**2019 PETER A. CARLESIMO MET WRITERS COACH OF THE YEAR**
**2019 NABC DISTRICT 5 COACH OF THE YEAR**
**2017 PETER A. CARLESIMO MET WRITERS COACH OF THE YEAR**
**2017 FORBES TOP 10 NCAA BASKETBALL COACHES FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS**
**2016 PETER A. CARLESIMO MET WRITERS COACH OF THE YEAR**
**2016 BIG EAST CO-COACH OF THE YEAR**
Year-By-Year Record
Highlights
- Led Seton Hall to 2016 BIG EAST Tournament Championship & 2020 BIG EAST Regular Season Championship
- Guided Seton Hall to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2016-19 (a fifth straight trip in 2020 was canceled due to COVID-19) as well as an appearance in 2022
- Has accumulated seven 20-win seasons and seven finishes in the top-half of the BIG EAST Conference
- Led Pirates to program's first NCAA Tournament win since 2004
- Coached Seton Hall's first consensus NCAA first-team All-American since 1953
- Ranked as high as No. 8 in the national top-25 polls
- Team has won the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award five straight years (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
- 72 BIG EAST All-Academic team selections
- Three NCAA Academic Progress Rate Public Recognition Awards (2015, 2016, 2017)
- One of only three coaches to ever win the Peter A. Carlesimo Award three or more times
- The 11th winningest coach in BIG EAST history
Come to Seton Hall University, develop your academic and athletic skills, play in the greatest basketball conference in the country, compete for conference championships and NCAA Tournament bids and graduate with a degree and the opportunity to play professionally all while enjoying a great student-athlete experience.
That’s the program that Kevin Willard has built in his 11 seasons as the head coach of the Seton Hall men’s basketball program. With a keen eye for recruiting, an emphasis on individual instruction and skill development and a dedication to academic success, he and his coaching staff have built the Pirates into winners on the court and in the classroom.
Willard has mentored 15 All-BIG EAST selections and three BIG EAST All-Rookies, and this includes:
- Fuquan Edwin, the 2014 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year.
- Angel Delgado, the 2015 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, 2017 unanimous All-BIG EAST selection and Haggerty Award winner and 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar National Center of the Year Award winner.
- Isaiah Whitehead, the 2016 unanimous All-BIG EAST first team selection and Haggerty Award winner, who went on to be a second-round selection in the 2016 NBA Draft.
- Myles Powell, the 2020 BIG EAST Player of the Year, Seton Hall's first NCAA consensus first-team All-American since 1953, a two-time Haggerty Award winner and the 2020 Jerry West National Shooting Guard of the Year Award winner.
- Sandro Mamukelashvili, the 2021 BIG EAST Player of the Year and Haggerty Award winner and finalist for the 2021 Karl Malone National Power Forward of the Year Award.
Making a huge emphasis on effort in the classroom, Willard’s student-athletes have also combined for 72 BIG EAST All-Academic team selections, and the program has boasted a perfect single-year academic progress rate in six of the nine NCAA reports since he became head coach as well as perfect multi-year APR scores in 2016 and 2017. The NCAA has also recognized Seton Hall with NCAA APR Public Recognition awards for boasting an APR in the top 10 percent in the country three consecutive years from 2015-17. The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) has given the program the Team Academic Excellence Award five consecutive years from 2016-20 for finishing the academic year with a grade point average above 3.0. Seton Hall has twice received the BIG EAST Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award with Michael Nzei winning in 2019 and Ike Obiagu winning in 2021.
Willard has proven to be a strong evaluator and recruiter of talent, as he brought in a consensus top-15 national recruiting class in 2014, led by Whitehead, the program’s first McDonald’s All-American since 2001 and just the fifth all-time. His 2021-22 recruiting class was also rated in the top 25 by 247Sports.
The 2020-21 season marked Seton Hall and Willard's sixth consecutive top-four finish in the BIG EAST Conference, one of the best basketball conferences in the country. Only Villanova has also completed six straight top-four finishes in the same span from 2016-21. The Pirates also reached the BIG EAST semifinals for the fifth time in their last seven BIG EAST Tournament appearances with a thrilling overtime quarterfinal win over St. John's.
Willard and his staff's tutelage of Sandro Mamukelashvili over four years paid off handsomely as the star power forward developed into the 2021 BIG EAST Player of the Year and Haggerty Award winner after being one of only two athletes to rank in the BIG EAST's top-five in scoring and rebounding and one of only two to be in the top-15 in scoring, rebounding and assists. The coaching staff also saw a rise to stardom in Jared Rhoden, who upped his game to become the team's second primary scoring threat by averaging 14.9 points per game, up from 9.1 points the previous season. Rhoden was a first-team All-Met selection and the BIG EAST free throw shooting champion, and his performance in the BIG EAST Championship landed him All-Tournament honors.
The 2019-20 season was one to remember as Willard beautifully managed the team's high expectations and turned them into a championship. The Pirates were the favorites in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches Poll and were nationally ranked in the preseason, and despite two major injuries to the team in December, Willard's group stayed the course and won a share of the BIG EAST regular season championship for the first time since 1993. The Hall was nationally ranked for most of the season, reaching as high as No. 8, and the Pirates had one of the best months in program history in January, going 7-0 as part of a 10-game winning streak. The Pirates had three wins over top-10 programs, including a victory at No. 10 Villanova on Feb. 8, the program's first road win over their rival since 1994.
Willard's Pirates finished the season with a 21-9 record, a top-15 national ranking and a top-15 NCAA NET rating that would have resulted in a top-four NCAA Tournament seed had the COVID-19 global pandemic not hit.
The Pirates were led by senior Myles Powell, who firmly established himself on the Mount Rushmore of all-time Pirates with another epic campaign. He averaged 21.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game even after suffering a head injury in December. His on-court play and his leadership combined with Seton Hall's team success made him a no-brainer choice to become Seton Hall's first consensus first-team All-American since 1953. In total, 11 different outlets named Powell an All-American, including first-team honors from the Associated Press, and he was the program's first BIG EAST Player of the Year honoree since 1993. He also was the runaway choice as the 2020 recipient of the Jerry West National Shooting Guard of the Year Award and the 2020 recipient of the Haggerty Metropolitan Player of the Year Award.
The 2018-19 season was one of Willard's finest coaching jobs as he took a Pirates team that was picked to finish eighth in the BIG EAST and molded them into a gritty group of student-athletes who never gave up. Playing an incredible amount of tight games that came down to the final possession, the Pirates rallied to win 20 games, made a run to the BIG EAST Tournament final and secured a fourth straight NCAA Tournament bid. The berth was the result of some big time wins for the squad, including a neutral court victory over then No. 9 Kentucky at Madison Square Garden, a road victory at Maryland, home wins over nationally ranked Marquette and Villanova and then a repeat victory over nationally ranked Marquette in the BIG EAST Tournament semifinals. Willard's excellent work was recognized when he was named NABC District 5 Coach of the Year and the recipient of the Peter A. Carlesimo Award as the Met Writers Co-Coach of the Year.
Willard's wizardry in skill development continues to show in his student-athletes. Through hard work, Myles Powell continued his development as one of the all-time greats in Seton Hall history. His junior campaign proved to be historic, averaging 23.1 points, 13th best in the nation, and also finishing in the BIG EAST's top-5 in scoring, three-pointers made and steals. Powell's penchant for the dramatic contributed to the Pirates' big victories on the season, and at the end of the year, Powell was awarded a slew of honors, including Associated Press All-America honorable mention, Haggerty Award Metropolitan Player of the Year, unanimous All-BIG EAST first team and NABC and USBWA All-District.
The 2017-18 season was filled with accolades and milestones as a senior-laden squad delivered the program's first NCAA Tournament victory since 2004, a 94-83 win over NC State that was followed by an eye-opening performance against top-seeded Kansas. The Pirates, who were ranked as high as No. 13 in the Associated Press poll on the season, played a rigorous schedule throughout the year, achieving banner wins over Texas Tech, Louisville, Butler and Providence. Twenty-six of Seton Hall's 34 games came against KenPom top-100 teams, and the Pirates won 15 of those contests, while also earning nine wins against teams that advanced to national postseason.
The Hall also proved to be an elite BIG EAST squad once again as the Pirates finished in a tie for third place and maintained their position as one of the best teams since the realignment of the new BIG EAST in 2014. Including conference tournament wins, Seton Hall has the fifth-most league wins in the 10-team conference since 2014 (50) and the third-most league wins since 2016 (36).
The Pirates finished 2017-18 rated No. 24 in the Sagarin Ratings, No. 26 in the KenPom, No. 27 in the BPI and No. 31 in the NCAA RPI while also receiving votes in the final Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls.
The Pirates again got outstanding individual performances as Delgado cemented his place as one of the all-time BIG EAST greats, breaking the career conference rebounds record, winning the season's rebounding championship for a record-tying third time in four years and averaging a double-double for a second straight year. He was the easy choice for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar National Center of the Year Award. Desi Rodriguez took his game to the next level, leading the team in scoring and most 20-point games on the season as he took home second-team All-BIG EAST honors. Khadeen Carrington transitioned to point guard and steadily got the Pirates to where they need to be with a career-high 150 assists while also scoring a barrage of points towards the end of the season. Myles Powell made a huge leap in his sophomore year, increasing his shooting totals, raising his scoring average by five points and, most impressively, more than tripling the number of assists he generated en route to BIG EAST Most Improved Player of the Year honors.
In 2016-17, Willard’s student-athletes built upon previous success to enjoy a strong non-conference season that included wins over Iowa, California and a nationally-ranked South Carolina squad. After a bumpy start to BIG EAST play that was a byproduct of a difficult schedule, the Pirates regrouped to post an incredible February and March, finishing the conference slate with seven wins in their final nine tries to earn a tie for third place in the BIG EAST, which ultimately earned seven NCAA Tournament bids. Plus, for the third time in the last four seasons, Willard guided The Hall to a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament semifinals with a championship victory in 2016.
With four top-50 RPI wins, nine against the top 100, three victories over nationally ranked opponents and only one loss outside the top 100, coupled with the team’s strong finish, Seton Hall’s resume made for an easy at-large selection into the NCAA Tournament. At season’s end, he repeated as the Peter A. Carlesimo Met Writers Coach of the Year, becoming just the fourth coach to ever be honored in back-to-back season, and Forbes Magazine named him one of the “Top 10 NCAA College Basketball Coaches for the Next 10 Years.”
One of the biggest reasons The Hall returned to the NCAA Tournament is because of its defensive identity. The Pirates ranked in the top half of the BIG EAST in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense and steals while leading the conference in rebounding margin. Rebounding was Seton Hall’s strong suit, as the Pirates out-rebounded opponents in 25 of 32 games. The team’s offensive rebounding was also off the charts, averaging 13.1 offensive boards per game that were converted into points 57 percent of the time.
After losing Whitehead to the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets at the end of the 2015-16 season, Willard needed his student-athletes to improve their game, and no one did more than Delgado, who developed into arguably the best center in the nation. The 6-10 Dominican Republic native had an incredible summer working out, and it translated into leading the nation in rebounding, offensive rebounding and double-doubles. He set new BIG EAST single-season rebounding records, and he became just the fifth Pirate in school history to reach 1,000 career points and rebounds. He was named All-America honorable mention, was a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award and was named the recipient of the 2017 Haggerty Award as the Metropolitan New York Player of the Year.
Carrington also took a major step forward in 2016-17, becoming the team’s leading scorer, and Rodriguez also upped his game, becoming an even better three-point threat and overall scorer while also maintaining his status as one of the toughest student-athletes to guard when driving to the lane. Powell became one of the top sixth men in the league with his shooting prowess, including some big three-pointers on the road that helped the Pirates defeat Iowa and Butler.
In 2015-16, Willard developed a team with a defensive identity full of grit and determination. The Pirates ranked as one of the top defensive squads in the country all season and the efforts led to 25 victories, the program’s most since winning 28 in 1992-93. During BIG EAST play, Willard’s Pirates made a huge second-half run, rattling off wins in nine of their final 11 games to finish 12-6, which was good for third place. The finish exceeded the BIG EAST coaches’ expectations for The Hall as they had the Pirates finishing seventh. Willard was named the BIG EAST Co-Coach of Year and the Peter A. Carlesimo Met Writers Coach of the Year for leading the turnaround.
Willard’s Pirates flew under the radar for most of the season, but the Pirates took the nation by storm during the BIG EAST Tournament, defeating Creighton, No. 5 Xavier and No. 3 Villanova on three consecutive days to claim the tournament crown. Led by Whitehead’s 26-point performance in the final, the Pirates cut down the nets to earn respect as the champion of one of the best conferences in college basketball. Whitehead and fellow classmates Carrington and Ismael Sanogo were all named All-Tournament with Whitehead claiming the Dave Gavitt Trophy as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Willard and his staff’s development of Whitehead was critical to the season’s success. After intensely working out over the summer, Whitehead made the transition to point guard and became one of the best in the nation, posting averages of 18.2 points, 5.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks overall during the season and 20.0 points, 5.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks during the 18 BIG EAST conference games. His effort landed him first-team All-BIG EAST honors, a unanimous selection, becoming the first Pirate since Brian Laing in 2008 to be recognized as on the first team.
Whitehead was not the only Pirate to seriously improve under Willard’s staff in 2015-16, as the entire sophomore class took a major leap. Carrington became a steady scorer for the Pirates, raising his points per game average by over five and increasing his shooting percentages by over five percent. Rodriguez developed his outside shooting to become a scoring threat from all areas of the court, and the numbers showed as he more than doubled his scoring numbers and increased his three-point shooting from eight percent to over 38 percent. Delgado, an All-BIG EAST honorable mention selection, became a better low-post scorer and increased his shooting percentages, including a marked improvement in free throws, where he went from 41 percent to 54 percent. Sanogo’s hard-working summer paid off in going from averaging 5.3 minutes a game to 27.9 minutes a game and developing into one of the BIG EAST’s best defenders; he was the only student-athlete in the conference to rank in the top 12 in rebounds, steals and blocks.
At season’s end, Willard’s young squad had proven to be one of the nation’s best. The Pirates finished in the top 25 in RPI and KenPom rating, and the team was ranked No. 20 in the final Associated Press poll, just the seventh time in program history the team was ranked at the end of the year.
In 2014-15, Willard guided one of the youngest teams in NCAA Div. I to a winning season full of accomplishments. Under Willard's direction, the Pirates captured the 2014 Paradise Jam championship, claimed the first-ever Garden State Hardwood Classic trophy with a win over Rutgers and defeated two Associated Press top-15 teams (No. 15 St. John's, No. 6 Villanova) in back-to-back games for the first time in over 20 years. Seton Hall returned to the national rankings for the first time in three years, earning a No. 19 ranking in the Associated Press poll on Jan. 5 and remaining ranked for a total of three weeks. The No. 19 ranking was the highest for Seton Hall since being No. 22 on Jan. 30, 2001 and the first time inside the top 20 since Jan. 23, 2001.
And although the team was young, Willard and his staff did an outstanding job developing the freshmen student-athletes into fantastic BIG EAST contributors, headlined by Delgado, who was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year after becoming just the second freshman in BIG EAST history to lead the conference in rebounding (Troy Murphy in 1999). Joining Delgado on the BIG EAST All-Rookie team was Whitehead, who had a big impact on the team, finishing second in scoring at 12.0 points per game.
Willard and his staff also aided in the development of junior Sterling Gibbs, who blossomed into a BIG EAST star after finishing in the top five in the conference in scoring and assists, the only player in the league to do so. Gibbs was a second-team All-BIG EAST selection, dropped 20 or more points nine times during the season and had a 40-point outburst against Illinois State in the Paradise Jam championship title game to earn MVP honors. Gibbs finished ninth in the nation in three-point shooting at 43.6 percent, which is also second-highest of any Seton Hall Pirate ever.
In 2013-14, Willard ushered the Pirates into a new era in the BIG EAST Conference in a year that was filled with milestones. Edwin, a four-year-player under Willard, rose to first on the program's all-time steals list and became the second Seton Hall player to take home the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Award and the first since Jerry Walker in 1992-93. Edwin was also named a second-team All-BIG EAST performer, and Jaren Sina became the first Pirate selected to the All-BIG EAST Rookie Team since Jeremy Hazell in 2007-08.
On the court, Willard guided The Hall to its first BIG EAST Tournament semifinal appearance since 2001. Along the way, he orchestrated the program's first victory over a nationally ranked opponent in the top-3 of the Associated Press Poll upending No. 3 Villanova in the quarterfinals on March 13, 2014. Willard also mentored The Hall's first BIG EAST All-Tournament Team selection in over a decade with Eugene Teague receiving the prestigious accolade.
Willard was named head coach of the Seton Hall men's basketball program on March 29, 2010. He became the 19th head coach in Seton Hall history joining the Pirates after three years serving as the head coach at Iona. In 2007, he had inherited a Gaels team that had won just two games the prior season. In his first year at the helm, the Gaels had a 10-win improvement, ranking as one of the top turnarounds in NCAA Div. I. Then in year three, Willard guided Iona to a 21-10 overall record, and he was named MAAC Coach of the Year.
Prior to the start of his career as a head coach, Willard was an assistant and associate head coach for six years at Louisville, where he was mentored by college coaching legend Rick Pitino. Willard also credits his father, Ralph, as one of his coaching influences. Ralph Willard enjoyed a successful 19-year run as the head coach at Western Kentucky, Pittsburgh and Holy Cross, winning 336 games and advancing to six NCAA Tournaments.
At Louisville, Willard was responsible for assisting with the Cardinals' game preparations, scouting and preparing game plans. He also served as chief recruiting coordinator. During his tenure, Louisville was ranked in the Top 25 for five seasons and reached the postseason in each of his six years. The squad reached the NCAA Tournament on four occasions including a visit to the 2005 Final Four, the first time in 19 years that the Cardinals had advanced that deep into the post season. In his six seasons at Louisville, the Cardinals posted a phenomenal 142-58 record averaging nearly 24 wins per season.
Prior to Louisville, Willard worked with Pitino as a coaching associate with the Boston Celtics for four years. His duties with the Celtics included game and practice preparation, scouting and assisting the coaching staff in all facets of basketball operations. He also provided advance scouting, video tape breakdowns and assisted with individual workouts prior to games.
A basketball lifer, Willard played point guard on the Division I level for four years; the last three coming at Pittsburgh. He earned BIG EAST All-Academic honors while appearing in 60 games for the Panthers. He spent his freshman season at Western Kentucky, where he played in the backcourt and sank over 40 percent of his three-point field goal attempts.
Willard hails from New York, but played his high school basketball at Bowling Green High School (Ky.) while his father was the head coach at Western Kentucky. He earned second-team All-State honors as a senior and helped his team to a combined 76-15 record in his final three prep seasons.
Willard is married to the former Julie Wagner and they have two sons, Colin, who was born in August 2006 and Chase born in June 2008.
Kevin Willard Year-By-Year
| Year | School | Position | Overall Record | Pct. | Conference | Conference Record | Pct. | Finish | Conference Tournament | National Postseason |
| 2001-02 | Louisville | Assistant Coach | 19-13 | .594 | Conference USA | 8-8 | .500 | T-7th | CUSA Quarterfinals | NIT Second Round |
| 2002-03 | Louisville | Assistant Coach | 25-7 | .781 | Conference USA | 11-5 | .688 | 3rd | CUSA Champions | NCAA Second Round |
| 2003-04 | Louisville | Assistant Coach | 20-10 | .667 | Conference USA | 9-7 | .563 | T-6th | CUSA Quarterfinals | NCAA First Round |
| 2004-05 | Louisville | Assistant Coach | 33-5 | .868 | Conference USA | 14-2 | .875 | 1st | CUSA Champions | NCAA Final Four |
| 2005-06 | Louisville | Associate Head Coach | 21-13 | .618 | BIG EAST | 6-10 | .375 | T-11th | BIG EAST First Round | NIT Semifinals |
| 2006-07 | Louisville | Associate Head Coach | 24-10 | .706 | BIG EAST | 12-4 | .750 | T-2nd | BIG EAST Semifinals | NCAA Second Round |
| 2007-08 | Iona | Head Coach | 12-20 | .375 | MAAC | 8-10 | .444 | 7th | MAAC First Round | --- |
| 2008-09 | Iona | Head Coach | 12-19 | .387 | MAAC | 7-11 | .389 | 7th | MAAC First Round | --- |
| 2009-10 | Iona | Head Coach | 21-10 | .677 | MAAC | 12-6 | .667 | 3rd ! | MAAC Quarterfinals | --- |
| 2010-11 | Seton Hall | Head Coach | 13-18 | .419 | BIG EAST | 7-11 | .389 | 12th | BIG EAST First Round | --- |
| 2011-12 | Seton Hall | Head Coach | 21-13 | .618 | BIG EAST | 8-10 | .444 | T-9th | BIG EAST Second Round | NIT Second Round |
| 2012-13 | Seton Hall | Head Coach | 15-18 | .455 | BIG EAST | 3-15 | .167 | T-13th | BIG EAST Second Round | --- |
| 2013-14 | Seton Hall | Head Coach | 17-17 | .500 | BIG EAST | 6-12 | .333 | 8th | BIG EAST Semifinals | --- |
| 2014-15 | Seton Hall | Head Coach | 16-15 | .516 | BIG EAST | 6-12 | .333 | T-7th | BIG EAST First Round | --- |
| 2015-16 | Seton Hall | Head Coach | 25-9 | .735 | BIG EAST | 12-6 | .667 | 3rd# | BIG EAST Champions | NCAA First Round |
| 2016-17 | Seton Hall | Head Coach | 21-12 | .636 | BIG EAST | 10-8 | .556 | T-3rd | BIG EAST Semifinals | NCAA First Round |
| 2017-18 | Seton Hall | Head Coach | 22-12 | .647 | BIG EAST | 10-8 | .556 | T-3rd | BIG EAST Quarterfinals | NCAA Second Round |
| 2018-19 | Seton Hall | Head Coach | 20-14 | .588 | BIG EAST | 9-9 | .500 | T-3rd | BIG EAST Final | NCAA First Round |
| 2019-20 | Seton Hall | Head Coach | 20-9 | .690 | BIG EAST | 13-5 | .722 | T-1st | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Canceled due to COVID-19 |
| 2020-21 | Seton Hall | Head Coach | 14-13 | .519 | BIG EAST | 10-9 | .526 | T-4th | BIG EAST Semifinals | --- |
| 2021-22 | Seton Hall | Head Coach | 21-11 | .656 | BIG EAST | 11-8 | .579 | T-5th | BIG EAST Quarterfinals | NCAA First Round |
| Total | Asst/Assoc. Head Coach | 142-58 | .710 | 60-36 | .625 | |||||
| Total | Head Coach | 270-210 | .563 | 132-140 | .485 | |||||
| ! 2010 MAAC Coach of the Year | # 2016 BIG EAST Co-Coach of the Year | |||||||||
