Marquette University men's basketball coach Buzz Williams resigned Friday to become the new coach at Virginia Tech.
ESPN reported that the Virginia Tech contract was for $18 million over seven years. Williams was earning $2.8 million a year at Marquette.
Williams' departure leaves Marquette in the less-than-ideal situation of having to make a major hire with an interim athletic director, Bill Cords, and an interim president, Father Robert Wild.
Cords said Marquette already had engaged in internal discussions about the possibility of Williams leaving and added that the position would be filled as soon as possible.
Ben Howland, the former coach at Pittsburgh and UCLA, is said to be interested in the job. Howland was a candidate at Auburn before the Tigers hired former UW-Milwaukee coach Bruce Pearl earlier this week.
UW-Green Bay coach Brian Wardle, a former standout player at Marquette, and North Dakota State coach Saul Phillips, a Reedsburg native and former assistant to Bo Ryan at UW-Milwaukee and Wisconsin, also could be considered candidates.
One of the most successful coaches in Marquette history, Williams led the Golden Eagles to five consecutive NCAA Tournament berths, including two Sweet 16s and the Elite Eight.
This season, however, the Golden Eagles slumped to 17-15 and were not invited to the NCAA Tournament or the National Invitation Tournament.
Williams had uncharacteristically lain low since the Golden Eagles' season ended with a loss in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament, not responding to interview requests. There were signs of his growing discontentment as Marquette's disappointing season progressed, as he questioned himself about strategy and rotations.
Although the Virginia Tech job is a lateral move at best, it gives Williams a chance to coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference against basketball heavyweights such as Duke, North Carolina and Syracuse. The reconfigured Big East, which placed four teams in the NCAA Tournament compared to six each in conferences such as the ACC and Big Ten, was not considered a big success in its first season.
Williams met with his players in an emotional team meeting late Friday afternoon. Freshman Deonte Burton said Williams told the Golden Eagles he had not planned on leaving until the Virginia Tech opportunity came up.
"It was a surprise; it was a shock," said Burton. "There were a lot of things he told us. The team was sad. We didn't want to see him leave. It was very emotional."
Burton, one of the Golden Eagles' leading players, said he definitely would return to Marquette despite the coaching change.
Senior forward Jamil Wilson presented a slightly different version of the team meeting.
"There was really no reason (given by Williams for leaving)," Wilson said. "He just said he had an opportunity and he was leaving. That was pretty much it.
"He said he was leaving as soon as he left the locker room, and then we talked to Mr. Cords."
Williams quickly left the Al McGuire Center and did not respond to text messages. By late Friday afternoon he already had changed his Twitter account and his phone number to reflect his new position in Blacksburg, Va.
"It's never easy to leave a great school like Marquette, where I spent seven wonderful years, six as the head coach," Williams said in a statement released by Virginia Tech. "But this is a special situation to work at a place like Virginia Tech. I've heard tremendous things about this terrific institution and this is an outstanding opportunity to build a program. My family and I look forward to becoming a part of this great university and community, and taking on the challenges associated in succeeding in the ACC."
Williams, who was promoted from his assistant's position in 2008 after Tom Crean left for Indiana, had a record of 139-65 at Marquette.
Although Marquette has an interim AD, Cords was the athletic director who hired Crean, and before him, Kevin O'Neill.
Cords said in a statement:
"We sincerely appreciate the contributions Buzz has made to Marquette University, both on and off the court. During his six-year tenure, he helped elevate the program to one of the most successful in the Big East Conference. We wish him and his family nothing but the best in the future.
"We have already begun a search for our next head coach. The dedicated commitment in support of, and investment in, its men's basketball program gives us a great foundation to be consistently successful and we look forward to finding the right person who will make us stronger in the future."
Source: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/goldeneagles/buzz-williams-leaving-marquette-for-virginia-tech-b99230805z1-251575811.html
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