COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Buzz Williams took some time to address the big picture of a season gone wrong.
In his first campaign at Maryland, the Terrapins are 9-14, 2-10 in Big Ten play. That's even after a victory at Minnesota on Sunday — one that was followed by some online debate over his postgame accessibility.
So in his news conference Tuesday, Williams held himself accountable.
“Whatever was going on on the internet that said I didn't want to talk to the media, I don't know. I have not tried to dodge anything relative to the results. I’ve coached 19 years as a head coach. I’m completely aware of how good Maryland is, and how disappointing our season has been," Williams said. "Our staff is continuing to study and figure out ways for improvement, but our system going forward will be more sustainable.”
The Terrapins already have four losses by at least 30 points.
Williams took over after Kevin Willard left for the Villanova job. This season went downhill in a hurry, and leading scorer Pharrel Payne hasn’t played since injuring a leg in mid-December.
“We have to do a better job in our decisions. We have to do a better job in our evaluations," Williams said. "We can’t control the injuries. That’s not justification for our lack of success.”
Beyond the poor performance on the court, there's been a sense Williams hasn't connected well enough with his new fan base — an issue that's important in an era when players come and go so quickly.
“I have never said no, unless it impacted what I needed to do on my job,” Williams said. “So I apologize for those that don't think they know me, or whoever these fans are. I'm not hiding anything.”
Maryland hosts Iowa on Wednesday night.
“There’s not an excuse or justification for our lack of success, other than we have to do better and we will do better,” Williams said.
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