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Kevin Willard, who was elevated to associate
basketball coach in 2005, is in his fifth season on
the University of Louisville coaching staff.
"Kevin reminds me a lot of a young Billy Donovan
(Florida's head coach)," said Pitino. "He was with
me at the Celtics for the four years as a chief
scout and has had a major job in working with
professional athletes."
Willard worked with Pitino prior to joining the
Cardinal staff as a coaching associate with the
Celtics for four years. His duties with the Celtics
included game and practice preparation, scouting and
assisting the coaching staff in all basketball
matters. He provided advance scouting, video tape
breakdowns and assisted with individual workouts
prior to games.
At Louisville, Willard assists in game preparations,
scouting and preparing game plans to aid the
Cardinals in attacking their opposition. He also
coordinates the Cardinals' recruiting efforts.
When Pitino took a short medical leave in 2004,
Willard guided the Cardinals to a 64-48 victory over
Houston in Freedom Hall for the one game during
Pitino's absence.
Willard, 30, was a collegiate basketball point
guard, playing his last three years at Pittsburgh.
He earned BIG EAST All-Academic honors while
appearing in 75 games for the Panthers.
He played his freshman season at Western Kentucky,
where he played in the Hilltoppers' backcourt and
sank over 40 percent of his three-point goals.
Willard hails from Bowling Green, Ky., where he was
a standout guard for Bowling Green High School. He
earned second team all-state honors as a senior and
helped his team to a combined 76-15 record in his
final three prep seasons.
He played in college for his father Ralph Willard, a
former Pitino assistant and the current head coach
at Holy Cross.
He is married to the former Julie Wagner. |
