Put this out gay trailblazer’s supportive coach in your bracket

‘Coach

By DAWN ENNIS

When the 8th seeded Maryland Terrapins faced off against No. 1 Alabama in the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships last weekend, it wasn’t just the players on the hardwood who were working hard for the win. Nate Oats coached the Crimson Tide to a 73-51 victory less than an hour from their home court. And on the other side was Kevin Willard, who is not just a seasoned coach, but a strong LGBTQ ally.

Willard was Derrick Gordon’s coach at Seton Hall when he transferred from UMass in 2015, a year after he came out as the first out gay Division I en s basketball player in the NCAA.

says Derrick Gordon of Maryland’s Kevin Willard

Gordon has credited Willard with creating a comfortable environment, after he “bumped heads” with former UMass coach Derek Kellogg during his two seasons with the inutemen. In contrast, he said he instantly connected with Willard, and told his teammates and Willard following his final season at Seton all that he wished he had another year of eligibility remaining. He’s said he considered Willard the best coach he’d ever played for.

“He just made it comfortable for me,” Gordon told Glenn Clark Radio in an interview broadcast on March 22, 2022. “He said, ‘You know what, we’re more focused on who you are as a person and a basketball player and what you bring to the team. e voiced that over and over again. When I went on my visit, I ust felt even more comfortable, met a couple of the guys. They made me feel right at home as well, so it was kind of like an easy decision. Coach Willard’s awesome. He’s an amazing guy.”

If you don t believe ordon, ask the West irginia ountaineers, who lost to the errapins in the first round - . aryland s win took the paint off the oor at egacy rena” in Birmingham, Ala., as Brendan Quinn wrote in The Athletic. He described Willard’s style of coaching this way: “Willard paced the sideline, as he does. The man is intense. Doesn’t suffer fools. Serious stuff. No BS. Black eyes screwed deep in a bald head, no pupils. He regards things sideways, incredulous toward anyone who doesn’t come correct. It s his whole thing. If uy itchie cast a college basketball coach, it’d be Willard.”

Gordon told Glenn Clark Radio that he particularly recalled the kind of support Willard gave him in one practice early in his Seton Hall career, according to Press Box Online.

I remember a particular situation that happened in practice came down the court and I was wide open and I didn t shoot it, ordon said in the interview. Willard stopped practice and he said, ou re not at ass anymore. I trust you. I believe in you. Shoot the ball. Ever since then, my confidence was through the roof, especially dealing with I had to deal with when I was at ass with that coach to playing under Coach Willard and him telling me that specifically, he ust let me play my game. ast uly, ordon posted on Instagram that after playing a few seasons in Europe for Cyprus and ermany, I decided to end my career as a professional athlete.”

Gordon is now 31, and he told his followers he is working on a book about his life “on and off the court,” in hopes he might “help gay young people, student athletes in particular and others who are struggling to pursue careers in professional sports or any career paths they chose without fear or shame.”

Since Christmas, he’s been sharing posts that include photos with his boyfriend, actor Scott Backman of Los ngeles, including one from last week, captioned Every time we’re together, it’s like falling in love all over again.”