College Hoops Coach Blames Baldness On Working For Rick Pitino With Ruthless Postgame Comments
The 'Nova head coach doesn't mess around.
Kevin Willard was not in a good mood on Saturday after having to watch his Villanova team get drilled by St. John's by the count of 89-57. During his postgame press conference, Willard was asked about Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino, for whom he worked as an assistant earlier in his career, both at the college and NBA levels.
Instead of taking the typical route and delivering coach-speak that complimented the opposing team, and in this case, the legendary head coach, Willard took a different approach.
I’m not bullshi--ing you, I don’t have hair cause of this guy. I had a full head of hair when I started working for him," Willard said. "It’s the most miserable experience in life, you fear for your life every day. Everyone laughs when I say that, but you think you’re going to get fired. It’s miserable. As he’s gotten older, he’s probably become more of a cranky old bit-h than he was when I worked for him. You literally fear for your life."
While reporters in the room offered up a few laughs, Willard didn't crack a single smile while delivering his comments. The tone of his answer was as serious as it could be, but Willard is certainly known to have a stern, non-sarcastic persona and tone.
When you call an opposing coach a "cranky old bit-h" those comments are going to make the rounds, and Willard's garnered so much attention he jumped on X on Sunday and posted a statement praising Pitino.
"Coach Pitino gave me my first opportunity as a coach, a fact I am forever grateful for. It is impossible to calculate how much I learned in every aspect of the game in my 10 years working for him," Willard wrote. "As a great competitor, he was often at his best after a loss. His energy and passion in those moments are part of what makes him a Hall of Fame coach. Coach is absolutely the best at what he does."
Willard was an assistant coach for Pitino with the Boston Celtics in the late 90s to 2001 and also followed Pitino to Louisville.
It's safe to assume that, given their history working with one another plus Pitino's personality, the veteran head coach didn't take any offense to Willard's comments, although he probably didn't have ‘being called a bit-h’ on his Saturday bingo card.