Kevin Willard is into the first Sweet 16 of his coaching career, but he still has to deal with the craziness of the transfer portal.
The current Maryland and former Seton Hall coach is getting ready to coach the No. 4 Terps against No. 1 Florida in the West Regional on Thursday night but that didn’t stop him from ripping the portal, where some 700 players reportedly entered on the first day Monday.
“The transfer portal is crazy,” Willard said on Team980 radio, per John Fanta. “There are kids asking for $2-3 million right now. The money has exploded crazy because we have no guardrails. We have no rules. It’s been as badly of a rule implemented as ever. And agents are taking advantage of it.”
Ironically, Maryland freshman star Derik Queen, a projected lottery pick, joked after hitting the game-winning shot Sunday against Colorado State that he listens to Willard because “First, he did pay us the money. And so we got to listen to him. And we all trust him because he’s, like, a player coach.”
A number of Rutgers and Seton Hall players have already hit the portal and the craziness has only begun.
“It’s such a wide range,” New Florida State coach Luke Loucks said on the ACC Network. “I’ve heard low-six figures for players that haven’t even played a minute of college basketball, and I’ve heard seven figures for guys that have started just a handful of games.
“And obviously, right now those numbers are super-inflated because a lot of these representatives just want someone to bite. All it takes is one team to pay someone that money and they’ve struck gold.”
He added: “My pitch to anyone, if you’re looking for the most money, you’re probably not coming to Florida State. Now, everyone’s going to get compensated in this day and age to some certain extent, but what I can provide and my staff can provide is a pipeline to professional sports. That’s what I know and what I’m going to build here. I’m going to be heavy on the player development side, heavy on the personal development side and heavy in the weight room.”
As for Willard’s potential connection to the Villanova opening, he will be coaching this week and thus couldn’t take the job until Maryland is done -- if indeed he even wants it.
“Does not help ‘Nova,” one source close to the situation said of Maryland’s run.
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter and Basketball Insider for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.