Mark Turgeon has been the head coach of the Maryland Terrapins men’s basketball team for the past 10 years. Through up and down seasons, it appears Turgeon may have worn out his welcome in College Park, Maryland. And in perfect timing, the 56-year old coach’s name has surfaced as a candidate for the vacant Oklahoma head coaching job.
Lon Kruger retired after the Sooners’ loss in the NCAA Tournament by top overall seed Gonzaga.
Two major college basketball insiders, Andy Katz and Seth Davis mentioned Turgeon as a prime candidate for Oklahoma.
Turgeon surfacing for Norman comes on the heel of a report he is looking for a way out of Maryland with his sights set on going back Midwest.
“Someone close to the program said (Turgeon) has been looking for power-five jobs back in the Midwest,” Jason Bishop of 106.7 the Fan’s Sports Junkies said. “That he is looking to get back home. He’s from Topeka, Kansas. He was sniffing around the Wichita State job after they let go of Marshall, but Wichita State hired the assistant for a five-year deal. That’s just a rumor. All rumors. But the guy told me Turge might be fed up with the pace of DC, get back home, slow it down a little bit.”
Mark Turgeon played college ball at Kansas. After starting his head coaching career at Jacksonville State, he coached seven seasons at Wichita State. He then went on to Texas A&M where he guided the Aggies to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances before taking the Maryland job in 2011.
With the Terrapins, Turgeon was tasked on rebuilding the program back to national prominence. However, that’s turned into a struggle. In 10 seasons under Turgeon, Maryland has one Sweet 16 appearance. Maryland has yet to win two games in the Big Ten Conference Tournament in their seven years in the league.
Maryland finished 17-14 this season. They earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. However, they were eliminated in the Round of 32 to Alabama.
Turgeon has two years remaining on his contract. His lack of prominent success has Maryland athletic director Damon Evans non-committal about an extension. Thus, the Oklahoma opening opens the door for the Topeka, Kansas native Turgeon to get back to the Midwest.
