Bill Self: If He Left, Who Could Replace Him?
By Ryan Noel
Mark Turgeon – Maryland
Just like Manning, there would be a strong sentiment behind this hire as Turgeon was a team captain under Larry Brown in the late 80s. His head coaching career has been successful, with winning stops at Wichita State, Texas A&M, and now Maryland.
Pros
Turgeon has a strong coaching record – 62% winning percentage over nearly 600 career games – and has now proven himself in the Big 12, ACC, and Big 10. He is 114-59 at Maryland, but has only gone 49-39 in conference play. To be fair here, since moving to the Big 10, his Maryland program is 26-10 in conference play.
As a recruiter, Turgeon is one of the better coaches in the country right now. He was a strong identifier of talent at A&M, finding guys like Deandre Jordan and Khris Middelton. Turgeon has recruited at an even higher level at Maryland, having recruited elite prospects such as Diamond Stone, Melo Trimble, Nick Faust, Jake Layman, and Shaquille Cleare.
Cons
While Turgeon’s recruiting has been good, the product on the court hasn’t always been stellar. Prior to moving to the Big 10, his coaching seat was under fire for three straight poor years in the ACC – he never finished higher than 7th place there.
Turgeon has only won his conference once – in 2005-2006 with Wichita State – and that has to be a concern if you are the Kansas athletic department. With Kansas’ recent history of dominance in the Big 12, their fans and donors will expect nothing less than continuing their streak.
Verdict
Turgeon would certainly be one of the hot candidates for the position, especially given Maryland’s prominent play over the past two years. There are some valid concerns in his coaching record, though, and it might be enough to keep from being the top choice.
Next: Tad Boyle