Callin' it Quits

I am happy to say hello to the lovely spring weather, as we are now in May! The one downfall to entering the sweltering summer months means that we have to wait another eleven plus months for March Madness to consume our lives and TV’s once again. As this year’s brackets were thrown off, the upsets didn’t prove to be the biggest story out of MM2011. Instead, we now reminisce with Coach Gary Williams as he retires as the head basketball coach for Maryland. While he believes it was time to stop, everyone else wonders why. Including his playing years, Williams was 461-252 at Maryland, giving him a .646 winning percentage. Being a three-year starter, Williams was also the head coach for 22 years (impressive!) at Maryland. With a national title under his belt, Williams left the school after one of the more disappointing seasons, 19-14. Overall, 33 years as a coach has made him a legend to the basketball world, having an overall winning percentage of 668-380. While it may be ironic, with the iconic coach left sophomore forward Jordan Williams as he is looking to be eligible in the draft. Maryland will continue being coached by familiar face, as six-year assistant coach Patrick Stevens will take over the team with the same coaching style, tenacity and fight as Williams did for so many years. While its so sad to see him go, I’m mostly left wondering if it was always his plan, or if it was a wakeup call following a more weak season. Either way, I believe Coach Williams will stay apart of the team, school and community, as he has clearly influenced so many people around him. We wish you well Coach!! Just Kickin’ it Around…