Villanova coach after rough start vs. Utah State: ‘I’m gonna fire my staff’
By David Wasson
Published:
The NCAA Tournament brings out all the raw emotions from players and coaches – both good and bad – with Villanova coach Kevin Willard certainly wearing his on his suit jacket sleeve in the first half of Friday’s game against Utah State.
Interviewed by TNT sideline reporter Lauren Shehadi during a time out, Willard clearly had seen enough of the Wildcats’ defensive sets against the Aggies and felt pretty clear about how to fix it.
“I’m gonna fire my staff,” Willard deadpanned to Shehadi, who replied with ‘Not now!’ before the coach kept on going. “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.”
Shehadi bid Willard farewell back the huddle, and Willard ventured back to the Villanova bench – which was then pictured as the game restarted still in their assigned seats.
“Well, they’re still there now, I can see them,” TNT color commentator Stan Van Gundy added with a laugh. “So at least they’re going to be there at least through the half.”
Willard has enjoyed a strong first season at Villanova, as the Wildcats entered the 2026 NCAA Tournament with a 24-8 overall record and a 15-5 mark in the Big East – only to lose to Georgetown 78-64 in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
