Career
Willard has had a distinguished career coaching on all levels. His first coaching job was as an assistant coach at the Merchant Marine Academy during the 1971/1972 season. He then spent the next 13 years coaching at St. Dominic in Oyster Bay, New York, his high school alma mater. During his tenure there he led his team to the 1980 state championship. He was also honored as coach of the year in the conference 5 times.
After leaving St. Dominic, Willard became the assistant coach at Hofstra University. When Willard left Hofstra, he became a member of the Syracuse University staff that appeared in the NCAA national championship game in 1987.
Willard briefly joined Rick Pitino as a member of the staff of the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks. When Pitino left to become the head coach of the University of Kentucky, Willard joined him as the associate head coach in 1989.
In 1990 Willard was given his first college head coaching job at Western Kentucky University where he stayed until 1994. Within three years Willard led Western Kentucky to a Top 25 national ranking and an appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16.
In 1994 Willard became the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team. He held this position until 1999 when he returned to his college alma mater at Holy Cross where he had been a member of the class of 1967 and the captain of the 1966-1967 men’s basketball team.
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