Mark Turgeon To Maryland

by Scipio Tex on May 10, 2011 1:34 PM CDT in Texas Longhorns and Other Basketball

Mark Turgeon is the new coach at Maryland and Terp fans are in a state of happathy. That's cheerful indifference.

I had to look it up.

Maryland fan is disappointed that three or four bigger names didn't work out in replacing the sweaty one, a sobering free market assessment on the state of Maryland basketball and its incongruence with their own perception of the job's value. It's not fun to think that you're a 9 and learn that you're actually a 7. Still, this is a basketball school in the premier basketball league in America smack dab in the middle of a Baltimore-DC corridor stacked with talent. That much of this talent may resemble the cast of The Wire does require some ability to recruit flexibly.

Deranged Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne has already promised that he has a roladex full of hot names and he expects the Aggie basketball juggernaut to not skip a beat. There are plenty of solid names out there, particularly if the Aggies are feeling morally flexible (Tim Floyd is at UTEP right now).

.bbpBox67787957679042560 {background:url(http://a3.twimg.com/a/1304006667/images/themes/theme1/bg.png) #C0DEED;padding:20px;} p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px 12px;margin:0;min-height:48px;color:#000;font-size:18px !important;line-height:22px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata{display:block;width:100%;clear:both;margin-top:8px;padding-top:12px;height:40px;border-top:1px solid #fff;border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author{line-height:19px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author img{float:left;margin:0 7px 0 0px;width:38px;height:38px} p.bbpTweet a:hover{text-decoration:underline}p.bbpTweet span.timestamp{font-size:12px;display:block}

Sorry to see Coach Turgeon leave but we are much better off today in hiring a new coach because of the good work of Mark & Billy.less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet ReplyBill Byrne
Bill_Byrne

My two cents are these: Turgeon is a good coach and a good guy, if an unexceptional recruiter. His success at Maryland will be heavily predicated on his ability to raise his recruiting game in a place where he has no historical or regional ties. Turgeon has also demonstrated a thin skin at times and he'll need to fortify that as well. He's a solid tactician and strategist and has done a nice job of extracting production from recent Aggie teams with almost no guard play.

Probably my favorite part of the excellent Testudo Times coverage of the coaching hire is this passing description of Texas A&M:

Texas A&M, meanwhile, has almost no history of basketball success, is located in a non-ideal locale, has a lot of idiosyncrasies, and is a huge football school.

Brother, you have no idea.

Tweet Comment 20 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Buzz Williams to A&M would be a scary thought.

I’d like to see a Turgeon clone. Someone good enough to coach ’em up and keep A&M respectable, but not a huge recruiter nor a huge threat to crack the Kansas-Texas upper echelon.

by jc25 on May 10, 2011 1:37 PM CDT reply actions

General rule of thumb: If it’s difficult to talk about a coach without using “is a good guy” three times, he’s not a home run hire.

Tough loss for A&M, though. Turgeon was a nice fit for their program.

by PB on May 10, 2011 1:38 PM CDT reply actions

I Wish Rick “Get your ass to the NBA” Barnes would find another job.

by Savage Henry on May 10, 2011 1:41 PM CDT reply actions

jc25 -

Opposing anyone named Buzz is a scary thought.

It’s true enough thatTexas is the #2 basketball school in the Big 12, but the gap between us and Kansas is a chasm. Let’s call it the Kansas upper echelon. Singular.

PB-

You’re a good guy for pointing that out.

by Scipio Tex on May 10, 2011 1:41 PM CDT reply actions

Savage -

I’d like him to stay in this job and do it better.

by Scipio Tex on May 10, 2011 1:42 PM CDT reply actions

We are keeping a close eye on the new coach situation at Spence Park Soapbox:

http://spenceparksoapbox.fantake.com/2011/05/10/mark-turgeon-gone-to-maryland/

Latest news from an inside source is that $ Bill and Buzz Williams (or his agent) have already had a face to face meeting to explore the possibility of his coming to A&M.

by Ag_in_TX on May 10, 2011 1:43 PM CDT reply actions

Aggie tradition(s) are to “idiosyncrasies” as Charlie Sheen is to eccentric.

Turgeon just never felt enough love after having to follow in the giant shadow of Billie Clyde and all the trophies he brought the Aggies.

by Horncasting on May 10, 2011 1:48 PM CDT reply actions

couldn’t agree more with the assessment above.

unless, Turgeon was going to start landing better talent, he was never going to have consistent high-level success at atm. he needs to step his game/staff up at Maryland if he expects to have any different result at maryland. of course, there’s always the crabcakes. hmmm…love that brackish water.

i think atm could def take a step forward with the right hire. If they hire the “right guy,” I’m def more nervous than where they were at with Turgeon.

by txsa on May 10, 2011 1:50 PM CDT reply actions

Seems like an easy call for Buzz Williams. There is a ton of talent in Texas; he got Jimmy Butler out of a JC around here I believe. A lot more resources at A&M to compete than at Marquette, where he’d always be in 2nd/3rd tier of Big East.

If Turgeon wants to win at Maryland, I’d advise he give Dalonte Hill a call, let an AAU guy do the recruiting while he focuses on the X-and-O’s.

by tjarks on May 10, 2011 2:00 PM CDT reply actions

Maryland fans want a dude that won’t let guys like Durant and Carmelo out of their backyard.

I don’t think Turgeon is that dude. I’m not that bent out of shape with him leaving. It was just a matter of time. Byrne has a whole host of flaws, but what he has done with basketball at a basketball graveyard is a nice feather in his bonnet.

by ColoradoAg on May 10, 2011 2:01 PM CDT reply actions

Scip,

I’d be happy if he stayed forever as long as winning a NC is his goal.

by Savage Henry on May 10, 2011 2:19 PM CDT reply actions

Ag in Tx -

Buzz makes sense to me.

You’re right, Colorado Ag.

Although when we’re talking Bill Byrne, there’s a decent likelihood that the bonnet isn’t metaphorical.

by Scipio Tex on May 10, 2011 2:22 PM CDT reply actions

Savage, it is.

You couldn’t be as finicky about defense as he is and not care about winning.

by Bob in Houston on May 10, 2011 3:34 PM CDT reply actions

Luke Winn opines about the Buzz buzz on Twitter.

(Take 2) To get Buzz, A&M would have to pay mid-$2MM buyout, plus beat his 7yr, $2MM+ per rollover deal. Can’t see it happening.

by Drew Dunlevie on May 10, 2011 3:45 PM CDT reply actions

Buzz would be at the top of the list of people we could actually get. It cracks me up when teams like Oregon go through half a dozen guys who have no interest in the job. I have heard Phil Jackson is available and the serenity of the Brazos valley might appeal to his inner Buddist nature.

by KilgoreTrout on May 10, 2011 4:21 PM CDT reply actions

San Fernando Valley to Brazos Valley—-yeah, that’ll work

by Frank the Plank on May 10, 2011 4:29 PM CDT reply actions

“Turgeon is a good coach and a good guy, if an unexceptional recruiter.”

That’s pretty much the description of the guy he’s replacing, and not the long term solution to Maryland’s recent struggles.

by Bateshorn on May 11, 2011 1:03 PM CDT reply actions

That’s a good assessment of Gary Williams. He simply wouldn’t play the AAU game. At all.

Maryland has the last national title without a single McDonald’s All-American on the roster, if I recall correctly.

Turgeon’s assistant hires will be telling.