When Len Elmore was a college basketball analyst for ESPN and Fox Sports, he covered several Marquette games when Buzz Williams was the coach.

Elmore, a former three-time All-American center at Maryland and first-round pick in the 1974 NBA draft, came away with a favorable impression of Williams, who was named the Terps coach on Tuesday. But Elmore continues to believe the university should have tabbed an individual with links to the institution.

“Buzz Williams is a good man, and he’s a good coach, and that’s why I reserve judgment and hope for the best,” he said. “But when you step back and take the people and personalities out of it and look at the process, once again, we took an itinerant coach that had to find a way out of his previous situation for what he perceived as a better job, and what stops him from doing that in the next three years or four years? “If you’re not leaving a legacy of alumni involvement that produces consistency like Duke and North Carolina, then where are we? We’re back at square one.”

On Wednesday, the 52-year-old Williams was introduced inside Xfinity Center in College Park. He succeeds Kevin Willard, who left the program on Sunday for Villanova after a three-year tenure during which he guided Maryland to a 65-39 overall record, a 32-28 mark in the Big Ten, and two NCAA Tournament appearances, including a run to the Sweet 16 that ended last Thursday in an 87-71 loss to No. 1 seed Florida.

Williams boasts a long history of success as head coach. He led the Golden Eagles to five straight NCAA Tournament berths, including two Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight in 2013, Virginia Tech to three consecutive postseason invites, including a Sweet 16 in 2019, and Texas A&M to three straight tournament spots from 2023 to 2025.

But Williams inherits a Terps squad with only three players who have eligibility, and one of them is freshman center Derik Queen, who is projected as a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft. That won’t dissuade Williams, according to Virginia Tech play-by-play announcer Bill Roth.

“Buzz turned Virginia Tech around quickly,” Roth said. “He inherited a mess [in 2014], but won 20 games in Year 2 and then had three straight NCAA teams, including a top-10 team. He knows how to win and how to turn it quickly. He knows exactly what he’s doing and how to win. His teams play so hard. They practice hard, and they play like that. He’s incredibly organized. From practice to team travel to meals to his staff to recruiting, there is a plan.”

Williams has not served longer than six years at any of his three previous stops, and that lack of longevity and the absence of ties to the Terps concern Elmore. In a letter he shared on social media Monday, he asked university officials to avoid hiring “outsiders” and model the program after those at Duke and North Carolina that promote employees who have earned degrees from their respective universities or worked many years there.

“That’s my whole raison d’etre for my letter,” Elmore said. “We have to develop consistency and only loyalty does that, and the fact is that for Buzz, this is his fourth team in 13 years. He can be characterized as an itinerant coach, and I’m hopeful that isn’t the case. But if you leave after two or three years, what have you really built? Hopefully that won’t be the case.”

Former three-time All-American forward and first-round pick of the 1974 NBA draft Tom McMillen had echoed his former teammate Elmore’s sentiment. But McMillen, who recently stepped down as president and CEO of Lead1 Association, which represents athletic directors of 133 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision institutions, softened his stance Tuesday after contacting five athletic directors who know or worked with Williams.

“They said that he’s very smart, he’s different, he’s a little quirky, he’s inquisitive, his players love him,” McMillen said. “It’s a very solid choice. No one has said anything negative.”

Williams’ lack of roots in Maryland did not bother McMillen so much as long as the coach seeks to construct what McMillen characterized as “the institutional connectedness piece” that links the past with the present. McMillen also didn’t mind Williams’ history of moving from one program to another after five or six seasons.

“If we can get a great five years out of any coach, I’d be very happy,” he said. “He’s at an age where I’m sure he wants to find a place that he can call home.

“Texas A&M is a very tough place. They take no prisoners, and I think it’s tough being in the SEC, which — like the Big Ten — is a very tough league. But Texas A&M was never a big basketball school. That’s why I think one of the things he’s excited about is that Maryland has historically been a big basketball school, and I think that’s a plus for him. So that doesn’t bother me too much.”

Both Elmore and McMillen said they would like to see Williams add a coach with a Terps background to staff. Former coach Gary Williams thinks that remains a possibility.

“I think Buzz will look at it, and if he thinks that can be the best thing for the staff, yeah, I’d be all for it obviously,” he said. “But he was hired to put together the best possible program that he can, and I’d like to see somebody with a background, which Len Elmore was talking about and was one of the great players and still really cares about the program just like Tom McMillen and Buck Williams. They all really care still, and they cared when I was here. So hopefully, the tradition will continue.”

Former forward James Gist, who was selected in the second round of the 2008 NBA draft, said that he thought time necessitated a swift decision by the administration.

“[Former point guard] Duane Simpkins over at American, he’s under contract right now,” Gist said. “I know that Tony Skinn’s name was going around, but he’s at George Mason, and he’s also under contract right now. Those things have an important influence on how they make their decisions. Sometimes timing is key.”

Word is Williams sought the opportunity to replace Willard when the position became open. That desire is a reason why Maryland fans will embrace Williams, McMillen said.

“I’m happy because I don’t think Coach Willard had a motivation to stay,” he said. “I’m glad to see that we have a coach that wants to be at Maryland. That’s a good thing. I think it’s a solid hire.”

Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at eklee@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun.