COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Buzz Williams took some time to address the bigger picture of a season gone wrong.
In his first campaign at Maryland, the Terrapins are 9-14, 2-10 in Big Ten play. It also followed Sunday’s win at Minnesota — one that was followed by some online controversy over its postgame accessibility.
So Williams held himself accountable at his press conference on Tuesday.
Williams said, “Anything that was going on the Internet that said I didn’t want to talk to the media, I don’t know. I didn’t try to avoid anything related to the results. I’ve been coaching for 19 years as a head coach. I’m fully aware of how good Maryland is, and how disappointing our season was”. “Our staff continues to study and find ways to improve, but our system will be more sustainable.”
The Terrapins have already lost four by at least 30 points.
Williams took over after Kevin Willard left for the Villanova job. The season has fallen off in a hurry, and leading scorer Farrell Payne hasn’t played since suffering a foot injury in mid-December.
“We’ve got to do a better job with our decisions. We’ve got to do a better job with our evaluations,” Williams said. “We can’t control the injuries. That doesn’t justify our lack of success.”
Beyond poor on-court performances, there’s a sense that Williams hasn’t connected well enough with her new fan base — an issue that matters in an era when players come and go so quickly.
“I never say no, unless it affects what I need to do in my job,” Williams said. “So I apologize for those who don’t think they know me, or who are fans. I’m not hiding anything.”
Maryland hosts Iowa on Wednesday night.
“There is no excuse or justification for our lack of success, we have to do better and we will do better,” Williams said.
