Mark Turgeon
Encyclopedia
Mark Leo Turgeon is an American college basketball
coach. He is currently the head coach for the University of Maryland Terrapins
. Turgeon previously served as head coach at Texas A&M for 4 years.
. After graduating from Hayden High School
, Turgeon attended the University of Kansas
, where he earned a bachelor's degree
in Personnel Administration in 1987. He added a master's degree
in Education
from the University of Oklahoma
in the same year. He is married to the former Ann Fowler, whom he met at KU, and together they have three children.
, helping the team post a 47-3 record and capture two consecutive Class 4A State Championships in 1982 and 1983. Turgeon earned All-State Tournament team honors in both of those years.
Although only 5 feet 10 inches out of high school, Turgeon earned a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Kansas
under Coach Larry Brown
. Turgeon played in four straight NCAA tournaments
, becoming the first KU player to do so. He was a reserve point guard for the 1985–86 Jayhawk team that won the Big Eight Conference
regular season and tournament title and also advanced to the Final Four
in the 1986 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
. The team finished that season 35–4 overall. Turgeon was a team captain for both the 1986 and 1987 squads, a member of the Big Eight All-Freshmen Team in 1984, and was also a Big Eight All-Academic Performer in 1986. Fans called him "The Surgeon" because, in addition to the phrase rhyming with his surname, he had the ability to "carve up defenses."
After his freshman year, coach Larry Brown told Turgeon that he would likely never play in the NBA
and should consider becoming a coach after college. Turgeon agreed, and Brown soon began asking his advice during games and practices, inquiring "What would you do here?" Turgeon remembers that he never got the answer right; Brown always sighed, rolled his eyes, and did something differently.
. In his first year of coaching, he helped the team win a national championship in the 1988 NCAA Tournament
. That team has been dubbed "Danny and the Miracles" due to the leadership of National Player of the Year
Danny Manning
.
Turgeon remained on the Kansas staff when Roy Williams
took over after Brown left for the San Antonio Spurs
in 1989. He also served as the head coach of the junior varsity team. During this time, Kansas won back-to-back Big Eight Conference Championships in 1991 and 1992, and also captured the conference tournament championship in 1992.
Following the 1992 season, Turgeon left Kansas to become the top assistant to recently-hired University of Oregon
head coach Jerry Green
, who had also been an assistant at Kansas. During his five years as an assistant at Oregon, the Ducks
were invited to the NCAA Tournament
for the first time in 34 years, earned a spot in the 1997 NIT
, and had three consecutive winning seasons for the first time in two decades. Turgeon also served as the team's recruiting coordinator in 1995, and recruited a class that ranked 35th nationally. The following year, he signed two of the top 100 prospects in the country.
Turgeon briefly left college coaching in 1997. When head coach Jerry Green left Oregon to coach at the University of Tennessee
, Turgeon again chose to work for his former coach, Larry Brown, becoming an assistant for the National Basketball Association
's Philadelphia 76ers
for a year.
in Alabama
. In his first year as head coach, the team accumulated an 8-18 record, finishing tied for 10th in the Trans America Conference. The following season, his team improved to 17-11, 12-6 in conference, with a 3rd place conference finish.
, a team which had had only two winning seasons in the previous 11 years. In his first season with the Shockers, the team lost their first 11 games before winning 9 of their last 17 for a 9–19 record. Of their losses, two came in overtime and four others were decided by fewer than four points. They improved the following season to 15 wins and 15 losses, the most wins the team had had in a season in four years. For the next three seasons, the team steadily improved, earning a berth in the National Invitation Tournament
for each of 2003
, 2004
, and 2005
seasons.
During the 2006 season, the Shockers continued to improve, winning the Missouri Valley Conference
for the first time since 1983. The team earned a trip to the 2006 NCAA Tournament
, the program's first since 1988. The Shockers defeated 10th-seed Seton Hall
by 20 points in their first round game and upset 2nd-seed Tennessee
to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 25 years. The Shockers were then defeated by Final Four-participant George Mason
, 63-55.
Mark Turgeon and the Shockers started the 2006-2007 season 9-0, winning on the road at George Mason
, LSU
, and Syracuse
. The Shockers were ranked as high as #8 on the AP Poll
before entering a slump, ending the season 17-14 and without a postseason.
After former head men's basketball coach Billy Gillispie
left Texas A&M to coach at Kentucky
, Turgeon was immediately hired as head coach on April 10, 2007. Turgeon acquired all of Gillispie's recruits for the 2007–08 season, including 5 star-rated DeAndre Jordan
. The Aggies started the season ranked 14th in the preseason Coaches Poll
.
Once the season progressed, they won the 2007 NIT Season Tip-Off
to extend their winning streak to 7–0. They would lose their first game of the season to unranked Arizona
, compiling a 7–1 record after the loss. After the Arizona game, they would then win eight straight home games against unranked opponents. Team performance spiraled down once conference play had begun, losing three straight unranked teams—at Texas Tech
, at Michael Beasley
-led Kansas State
, and at home to Baylor
. The Baylor game took five overtimes
, becoming the longest game in Big 12 history. The Aggies could post wins at their next five matchups, including one over the 10th-ranked rival Texas Longhorns and three away games. They then regressed, losing to Oklahoma State
and Nebraska at home. Another high point came when they defeated Texas Tech 98–54 at home, matching their highest margin of victory in school history (set in 1959 against Texas). The Aggies regressed once again, this time losing 64–37 at Oklahoma. The game had marked the worst loss in history since 1967 and had the third-worst shooting percentage (.255) in history. The team also had only one assist
and 18 turnovers
in the game. After the blowout, the Aggies were able to revenge Baylor in Waco
, though came back home to lose their final regular season game to eventual national champion Kansas to finish 8–8 in conference play.
The team received a No. 6 bid to the Big 12 tournament
, defeating Iowa State and Kansas State in the first two rounds, but lost to Kansas again in the semifinals. With their 24–10 record after the Big 12 tournament, the Aggies received a No. 9 at-large bid to the West Regional of the NCAA tournament
. In the first round, they defeated 8th-seeded BYU
67–62 at Anaheim
. In the second round, they faced UCLA
at the same site, though allowed them to escape with a close 51–49 win. The Aggies finished the season with a 25–11 record. The 25 wins matches the record for most wins by a first-year coach at a Big 12
school, set by former Texas coach Tom Penders
in the 1988–89 season.
receiving preseason All-Big 12 honorable mention. The team won its first four games before falling against Tulsa
. After that, the Aggies won 10 straight to close out non-conference play with a 14–1 record. They lost four of their first five Big 12 games, the win coming against then-#21 Baylor. Following a three-game losing streak, A&M won two straight at home against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State before bookending it with another three-game losing streak. The Aggies then won their final six games to close out the season, including wins over rival Texas, Nebraska (on Carter's three-pointer at the buzzer), and then-#12 Missouri. Finishing the regular season with a 23–8 record, the Aggies lost to Texas Tech in the first round of the Big 12 tournament. They earned a #9 seed in the NCAA Tournament West Regional and, for the second straight year, a matchup with BYU
. After defeating BYU for the second straight year, 79–66, the Aggies came up short against #1 seed and eventual Final Four participant Connecticut
. Texas A&M finished the season with a 24–10 record; Turgeon's 49 wins in his first two seasons was the most by any new coach in Big 12 history. Junior Derrick Roland was selected to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. Turgeon's recruiting class for the Class of 2013 was ranked #25 by ESPN.
. He had visited the campus earlier that day and left with an offer. When asked about his decision at an Aggie Athletics press conference, he said "Maryland's got a great basketball tradition. [Texas A&M and Maryland are] real similar. It's a gut feeling." In their meeting earlier that night he told the Aggie players "it was the hardest decision [he] ever had to make... because of [them]." Turgeon said that fan attendance at A&M did not factor into his decision. Turgeon captured his first win as the University of Maryland Head Coach on November 13,2011 after defeating UNC Wilmington 71-62.
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
coach. He is currently the head coach for the University of Maryland Terrapins
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. Turgeon previously served as head coach at Texas A&M for 4 years.
Personal
Mark Turgeon was born and raised as one of five children in Topeka, KansasTopeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
. After graduating from Hayden High School
Hayden High School (Topeka, Kansas)
Hayden High School is a private, Catholic high school in Topeka, Kansas. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.-Athletics:...
, Turgeon attended the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
, where he earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Personnel Administration in 1987. He added a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
from the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
in the same year. He is married to the former Ann Fowler, whom he met at KU, and together they have three children.
Playing career
Turgeon played basketball at Hayden High SchoolHayden High School (Topeka, Kansas)
Hayden High School is a private, Catholic high school in Topeka, Kansas. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.-Athletics:...
, helping the team post a 47-3 record and capture two consecutive Class 4A State Championships in 1982 and 1983. Turgeon earned All-State Tournament team honors in both of those years.
Although only 5 feet 10 inches out of high school, Turgeon earned a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
under Coach Larry Brown
Larry Brown (basketball)
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" Brown is an American basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Bobcats....
. Turgeon played in four straight NCAA tournaments
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
, becoming the first KU player to do so. He was a reserve point guard for the 1985–86 Jayhawk team that won the Big Eight Conference
Big Eight Conference
The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...
regular season and tournament title and also advanced to the Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
in the 1986 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
1986 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1986 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1986, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in Dallas, Texas...
. The team finished that season 35–4 overall. Turgeon was a team captain for both the 1986 and 1987 squads, a member of the Big Eight All-Freshmen Team in 1984, and was also a Big Eight All-Academic Performer in 1986. Fans called him "The Surgeon" because, in addition to the phrase rhyming with his surname, he had the ability to "carve up defenses."
After his freshman year, coach Larry Brown told Turgeon that he would likely never play in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
and should consider becoming a coach after college. Turgeon agreed, and Brown soon began asking his advice during games and practices, inquiring "What would you do here?" Turgeon remembers that he never got the answer right; Brown always sighed, rolled his eyes, and did something differently.
Early positions
After Turgeon earned a degree from the University of Kansas in 1987, he immediately took a position as an assistant to his former coach, Larry BrownLarry Brown (basketball)
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" Brown is an American basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Bobcats....
. In his first year of coaching, he helped the team win a national championship in the 1988 NCAA Tournament
1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 17, 1988, and ended with the championship game on April 4 returning to Kansas City, Missouri...
. That team has been dubbed "Danny and the Miracles" due to the leadership of National Player of the Year
Naismith College Player of the Year
The Naismith College Player of the Year is an annual basketball award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the top men's and women's collegiate basketball players. It is named in honor of the inventor of basketball , Dr. James Naismith....
Danny Manning
Danny Manning
Daniel Ricardo "Danny" Manning is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He is an assistant basketball coach at his alma mater, the University of Kansas Jayhawks. Manning won the National Championship with the Jayhawks in 1988 as a player, and...
.
Turgeon remained on the Kansas staff when Roy Williams
Roy Williams (coach)
Roy Williams is head coach of the men's basketball team at the University of North Carolina. After averaging nearly an 80% win percentage in 15 seasons at the University of Kansas, he became the eighteenth head coach at North Carolina when he replaced Matt Doherty in 2003...
took over after Brown left for the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
in 1989. He also served as the head coach of the junior varsity team. During this time, Kansas won back-to-back Big Eight Conference Championships in 1991 and 1992, and also captured the conference tournament championship in 1992.
Following the 1992 season, Turgeon left Kansas to become the top assistant to recently-hired University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
head coach Jerry Green
Jerry Green (coach)
Jerry Green was a college basketball coach from the 1980s through 2001. He coached at UNC Asheville, Oregon and Tennessee. He also was an assistant at Kansas under Roy Williams....
, who had also been an assistant at Kansas. During his five years as an assistant at Oregon, the Ducks
Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks refers to the sports teams of the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are part of the Pacific-12 Conference in the Division 1 of the NCAA. With seventeen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and Track and Field...
were invited to the NCAA Tournament
1995 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1995 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 1995, and ended with the championship game on April 3 at the Kingdome in Seattle,...
for the first time in 34 years, earned a spot in the 1997 NIT
1997 National Invitation Tournament
-Semifinals & Finals:*Third Place - Connecticut 74, Arkansas 64Michigan later forfeited its entire 1996-97 schedule after Robert Traylor, Maurice Taylor and Louis Bullock were found to have taken money from a Michigan booster....
, and had three consecutive winning seasons for the first time in two decades. Turgeon also served as the team's recruiting coordinator in 1995, and recruited a class that ranked 35th nationally. The following year, he signed two of the top 100 prospects in the country.
Turgeon briefly left college coaching in 1997. When head coach Jerry Green left Oregon to coach at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, Turgeon again chose to work for his former coach, Larry Brown, becoming an assistant for the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
for a year.
Jacksonville State
Turgeon accepted his first head coaching position in 1998 with Jacksonville State UniversityJacksonville State University
Jacksonville State University is a regional public coeducational university located in Jacksonville, Alabama, USA. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in four academic units leading to Bachelor's, Master's, and Education Specialist degrees, in addition to continuing and...
in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. In his first year as head coach, the team accumulated an 8-18 record, finishing tied for 10th in the Trans America Conference. The following season, his team improved to 17-11, 12-6 in conference, with a 3rd place conference finish.
Wichita State
After the 1999–2000 season, Turgeon returned to his home state as head coach of the Wichita State ShockersWichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
, a team which had had only two winning seasons in the previous 11 years. In his first season with the Shockers, the team lost their first 11 games before winning 9 of their last 17 for a 9–19 record. Of their losses, two came in overtime and four others were decided by fewer than four points. They improved the following season to 15 wins and 15 losses, the most wins the team had had in a season in four years. For the next three seasons, the team steadily improved, earning a berth in the National Invitation Tournament
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
for each of 2003
2003 National Invitation Tournament
-Semifinals & Finals:*Third Place - Texas Tech 71, Minnesota 61St. John's later vacated the title due to an ineligible player....
, 2004
2004 National Invitation Tournament
-Semifinals & Finals:...
, and 2005
2005 National Invitation Tournament
-Semifinals & Finals:...
seasons.
During the 2006 season, the Shockers continued to improve, winning the Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
for the first time since 1983. The team earned a trip to the 2006 NCAA Tournament
2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball season...
, the program's first since 1988. The Shockers defeated 10th-seed Seton Hall
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
by 20 points in their first round game and upset 2nd-seed Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 25 years. The Shockers were then defeated by Final Four-participant George Mason
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
, 63-55.
Mark Turgeon and the Shockers started the 2006-2007 season 9-0, winning on the road at George Mason
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
, LSU
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, and Syracuse
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. The Shockers were ranked as high as #8 on the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
before entering a slump, ending the season 17-14 and without a postseason.
2007–08 season
Billy Gillispie
Billy Clyde Gillispie , also known by his initials BCG, is an American college basketball coach. Since 2011, he has been the current head coach of the men's basketball team at Texas Tech University...
left Texas A&M to coach at Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, Turgeon was immediately hired as head coach on April 10, 2007. Turgeon acquired all of Gillispie's recruits for the 2007–08 season, including 5 star-rated DeAndre Jordan
DeAndre Jordan
Hyland DeAndre Jordan, Jr. is an American professional basketball player at center for the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA. He played a year of college basketball at Texas A&M University...
. The Aggies started the season ranked 14th in the preseason Coaches Poll
Coaches Poll
The USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and Division I college basketball teams....
.
Once the season progressed, they won the 2007 NIT Season Tip-Off
NIT Season Tip-Off
The NIT Season Tip-Off is an annual college basketball tournament that takes place in November of each year, around the beginning of the season. The first two rounds are held at campus sites and the semifinals and the finals are held at Madison Square Garden. The tournament began in 1985 as the...
to extend their winning streak to 7–0. They would lose their first game of the season to unranked Arizona
Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
The Arizona Wildcats basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of NCAA Division I. They are currently coached by Sean Miller.Arizona has a long and rich...
, compiling a 7–1 record after the loss. After the Arizona game, they would then win eight straight home games against unranked opponents. Team performance spiraled down once conference play had begun, losing three straight unranked teams—at Texas Tech
Texas Tech Red Raiders men's basketball
The Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball team represents Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition The team is currently coached by Billy Gillispie. Prior to Gillispie being named coach, the coach was Pat Knight who succeeded his father, Hall of Famer Bob...
, at Michael Beasley
Michael Beasley
Michael Paul Beasley, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association . He plays both forward positions, and shoots his jump shot left-handed, though he is also ambidextrous...
-led Kansas State
Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball
The Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team represents Kansas State University in college basketball competition. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and is a member of the Big 12 Conference. The current head coach is Frank Martin....
, and at home to Baylor
Baylor Bears
Baylor Bears refers to the sports teams of Baylor University. Baylor's men's sports teams are nicknamed the Bears, and some women's teams are nicknamed the Lady Bears. Student athletes participate in the NCAA's Division I, and Baylor is the only private school in the Big 12 Conference...
. The Baylor game took five overtimes
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
, becoming the longest game in Big 12 history. The Aggies could post wins at their next five matchups, including one over the 10th-ranked rival Texas Longhorns and three away games. They then regressed, losing to Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State Cowboys are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University. Their mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates in the NCAA's Division I-A and in the Big 12 Conference's South Division. The university's current athletic director is Mike Holder...
and Nebraska at home. Another high point came when they defeated Texas Tech 98–54 at home, matching their highest margin of victory in school history (set in 1959 against Texas). The Aggies regressed once again, this time losing 64–37 at Oklahoma. The game had marked the worst loss in history since 1967 and had the third-worst shooting percentage (.255) in history. The team also had only one assist
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...
and 18 turnovers
Turnover (basketball)
In basketball, a turnover occurs when a player from one team gives possession to a member of the opposing team by losing the ball. This can result from the ball being stolen, the player making mistakes such as stepping out or throwing the ball out of bounds, or committing a violation or committing...
in the game. After the blowout, the Aggies were able to revenge Baylor in Waco
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
, though came back home to lose their final regular season game to eventual national champion Kansas to finish 8–8 in conference play.
The team received a No. 6 bid to the Big 12 tournament
2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2008 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship was the 2008 edition of the Big 12 Conference's championship tournament held at the Sprint Center in Kansas City from March 13 until March 16, 2008. It was the 12th Big 12 tournament in the series...
, defeating Iowa State and Kansas State in the first two rounds, but lost to Kansas again in the semifinals. With their 24–10 record after the Big 12 tournament, the Aggies received a No. 9 at-large bid to the West Regional of the NCAA tournament
2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball season...
. In the first round, they defeated 8th-seeded BYU
BYU Cougars men's basketball
The BYU Cougars men's basketball team represents Brigham Young University in NCAA Division I basketball play. Established in 1902, the team has won 30 conference championships and 2 NIT Tournaments , and competed in 26 NCAA Tournaments. It currently competes in the West Coast Conference...
67–62 at Anaheim
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
. In the second round, they faced UCLA
UCLA Bruins men's basketball
The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1920, owns a record 11 Division I NCAA championships. UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, including 7 straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record 4 times, in 1964, 1967,...
at the same site, though allowed them to escape with a close 51–49 win. The Aggies finished the season with a 25–11 record. The 25 wins matches the record for most wins by a first-year coach at a Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
school, set by former Texas coach Tom Penders
Tom Penders
Tom Penders is a retired college basketball head coach, who last coached from 2004 through 2010 at the University of Houston. He is from Stratford, Connecticut and has a 648-438 career record...
in the 1988–89 season.
2008–09 season
Turgeon's Aggies started the year unranked, with senior Josh CarterJosh Carter
Joshua Neville Carter is an American professional basketball player at guard/forward. He played college basketball for Texas A&M. He also played for the Athletes in Action basketball team in 2006 and 2007, helping the team win the William Jones Cup in 2006...
receiving preseason All-Big 12 honorable mention. The team won its first four games before falling against Tulsa
Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball
The University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane basketball team represents the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team participates in Conference USA. The men’s team is currently coached by Doug Wojcik....
. After that, the Aggies won 10 straight to close out non-conference play with a 14–1 record. They lost four of their first five Big 12 games, the win coming against then-#21 Baylor. Following a three-game losing streak, A&M won two straight at home against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State before bookending it with another three-game losing streak. The Aggies then won their final six games to close out the season, including wins over rival Texas, Nebraska (on Carter's three-pointer at the buzzer), and then-#12 Missouri. Finishing the regular season with a 23–8 record, the Aggies lost to Texas Tech in the first round of the Big 12 tournament. They earned a #9 seed in the NCAA Tournament West Regional and, for the second straight year, a matchup with BYU
2008–09 BYU Cougars men's basketball team
The 2008–09 BYU Cougars men's basketball team represented Brigham Young University in the 2008–09 college basketball season. This was head coach Dave Rose's fourth season at BYU...
. After defeating BYU for the second straight year, 79–66, the Aggies came up short against #1 seed and eventual Final Four participant Connecticut
2008–09 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team
The 2008–2009 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2008–2009 NCAA Division I basketball season. Coached by Jim Calhoun, the Huskies played their home games at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A...
. Texas A&M finished the season with a 24–10 record; Turgeon's 49 wins in his first two seasons was the most by any new coach in Big 12 history. Junior Derrick Roland was selected to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. Turgeon's recruiting class for the Class of 2013 was ranked #25 by ESPN.
Maryland
Prior to his last year at Texas A&M, Turgeon had negotiated a contract extension and salary increase, but he was growing more unhappy with the Aggie fan base. During his final season coaching the Aggies, Turgeon publicly expressed unhappiness with the inconsistent fan support from both students and public ticket holders. On the evening of May 9, 2011 at 8pm (local time), Turgeon met with his coaching staff and players to inform them that half an hour earlier he accepted the head coach position at the University of MarylandUniversity of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
. He had visited the campus earlier that day and left with an offer. When asked about his decision at an Aggie Athletics press conference, he said "Maryland's got a great basketball tradition. [Texas A&M and Maryland are] real similar. It's a gut feeling." In their meeting earlier that night he told the Aggie players "it was the hardest decision [he] ever had to make... because of [them]." Turgeon said that fan attendance at A&M did not factor into his decision. Turgeon captured his first win as the University of Maryland Head Coach on November 13,2011 after defeating UNC Wilmington 71-62.