Our special guest for this March Madness edition of Evergreen News is Gary Williams, Head Basketball Coach for the University of Maryland Terrapins. As Gary prepared to take his team into the 2010 NCAA tournament, Mike Gill spoke with him about his experiences in such a compeitive environment. We hope you’ll enjoy the conversation.
Maryland’s Gary Williams is among the most successful basketball coaches in ACC history. Despite having one of the most animated and volatile sideline presences in college basketball, Williams has never received the full measure of appreciation his accomplishments merit.
Only two coaches in the ACC’s 57 years, North Carolina’s Dean Smith and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, have amassed more victories than Williams’ 202 in ACC competition. Now in his 21st season at College Park, he has 441 wins at Maryland, more than anyone in school history, and 648 career victories through March 11, 25th all-time among Division I coaches.
Williams, who turned 65 on March 4, is among seven ACC coaches who have won a national championship (in 2002) and among seven who have made repeat trips to the Final Four (2001, 2002). His team won an ACC Tournament in 2004, and he led the Terrapins to first-place league finishes in 1995, 2002 and 2010. His Maryland teams have won at least 19 games for 14 consecutive seasons.
Williams’ Maryland team fell just short of completing a comeback attempt against Michigan State which led to a second round exit during this year’s NCAA tournament.
{MIKE} What is your philosophy in building a championship basketball team?
(GARY} Recruit the best players you can get without cheating. Have an administration that realizes the importance of athletics at a major university. In basketball, one great player added to a very good team can win championships.
{MIKE} Is March Madness and winning a matter of “life or death” or is it more important than that?
{GARY} Making the tournament can be “life or death” for coaches in major conferences. It is more difficult just to make the tournament than it used to be.
{MIKE} How do you approach Gameday?
{GARY} Preparation is the whole key to playing well in a game. Getting the players to focus in practice is very important. It’s extremely important that the players are in the right mindset to win. They need to be motivated and they need to have a fighting spirit. I know some managers who would always arrange a nba motivational speech for their players before a big game. That would really inspire the players and would usually make them want to win the game. Whilst I’ve not done that, other teams used to benefit from it significantly. Winning is all about having the right mindset, so these NBA legends would always inspire them.
{MIKE} Role models are important to all of us. Who have been some of your role models-mentors?
{GARY} Bud Millikan, Tom Davis, and my high school coach.
Bud Millikan was head coach of the University of Maryland from 1950-1967. He compiled a 243-182 record. The former coach died this past January at the age of 89.
Gary played for Coach Millikan at Maryland. Williams in his autobiography “Sweet Redemption” wrote, “I played for a first-rate coach in Bud Millikan, but after that, nothing was first-rate in the Maryland program. . . . You couldn’t play for Bud Millikan unless you were willing to play hard in the defensive end of the court. In practice, we would practice two and a half hours of defense and spend about ten minutes on offense.
“Dr. Tom” Davis, a Wisconsin native was the head coach at Lafayette College, Boston College, Stanford University, the University of Iowa and Drake University from 1971-2007. He received his doctorate from the University of Maryland. During 1972, one of Davis’ assistant head coaches was Gary Williams. Ironically in 1982 after having been head coach at American University, Gary followed Tom Davis as head coach at Boston College.
{MIKE} What did you take away from the different experiences?
{GARY} Working hard, wanting to be a coach, having a basketball philosophy that you believe in.
{MIKE} Gary, I did the math. If you coach for 17 more years and can win 20 games a year, you’ll reach 1000 wins and still be two years younger than Papa Joe Paterno is right now. Can you do it?
{GARY} No, it is much more hands on in basketball. I coach every part of the game. There are no offensive and defensive coordinators.
{MIKE} You’ve had many special kids play for you at Maryland. Will you name a couple of them?
{GARY} Walt Williams, Keith Booth, Steve Blake, Juan Dixon, Greivis Vasquez.
{MIKE} When you’ve taken your gray suit to the cleaners for the last time and “retired” as the men’s basketball coach at Maryland, how do you want to be remembered?
{GARY} When I got the job in ’89, Maryland Basketball was as low as any program in the country. I was there when we won a Championship.
{MIKE} If I could let you have one Mulligan for any part of your coaching career, and “do-over,” what would it be?
{GARY} (1) Things worked out at Maryland, but Ohio State was a great job. (2) The Duke game at the Final Four, 2001.
On March 31, 2001 Maryland played Duke at the Metrodome in Minneapolis in front of 45, 406 fans with the winner advancing to the NCAA Championship game. Up 39-17 with just over 13 minutes gone in the game, the Terrapins let the lead dwindle by 11 at halftime. It didn’t hold up. With Juan Dixon scoring just three points in the second half and forced to play for more than twelve minutes without foul-laden senior Terence Morris, Maryland lost 95-84.
{MIKE} Gary, you’re playing an important leadership role in the University of Maryland’s Capital Campaign. What does it mean to you to be a graduate of the University of Maryland?
{GARY} I care about the school and want the university to be successful.
{MIKE} What do you love most about what you do?
{GARY} Teaching. The practices are the classroom. Watching players and teams improve.
{MIKE} A hundred years ago you coached at American University, your first head coaching job. After that it was Boston College and Ohio State before “coming home.” Are the players today different than let’s say 25 years ago? Is coaching harder?
{GARY} Players are basically the same, but the people around the players have changed. Coaching college basketball is harder because of television.