Props to Swofford!
Sweaty Gary’s take (The Washington Post):
“Anybody that has been connected with the ACC will say there have been great moments,†said Williams, who led the Terps to the 2002 NCAA championship. “Up until they expanded in 2003, we were by far the best basketball coach in the country. That was a great thing to be part of. At the same time, once expansion started — and not just in ACC, but everywhere — things changed.
“A lot of it has to do with football. I think sometimes people don’t understand, or they forget a little bit, that your ability to run an athletic department is based on selling tickets and raising money and then, with your conference, the amount of money you can earn from the various contracts you have. When you look at the Big Ten, they have done a great job of putting every school in a great situation.â€
…
“Kevin is really good because he doesn’t try to sway me into thinking any certain way, but we talk,†Williams said. “This is my view from where I’ve been as a coach, and being a longtime part of the ACC. That’s the important thing, that we as Maryland people — you certainly have your feelings about the ACC, but at the same time — [consider] what’s best for Maryland and the athletic department and the football program.
“I try to look at it from what is best for the athletic department and the University of Maryland.”
