New Maryland coach impressive in intro
With his future in the balance, Mark Turgeon couldn’t get any bars.
On a family camping trip in the hills of Western Pennsylvania last weekend, the only way Turgeon could get cell phone service was to drive to the top of the mountain. As a candidate for the basketball job at Maryland, it was imperative that he stay in touch.
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But every time Turgeon made the trek, he couldn’t reach Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson. On Sunday morning, on one of the uphill climbs, Turgeon’s minivan had a flat tire.
Three days later, speaking at Comcast Center as the new basketball coach at Maryland, Turgeon was able to laugh at his misfortune, which played out like the storyline of the Robin Williams movie “RV.”
“It was a crazy 48 hours,” Turgeon said. “This was the only red tie I could find. I hope it’s Maryland red.”
Addressing a standing-room-only crowd in a banquet room, sponsored ironically by a cell phone company, the 46-year-old Kansas native made a dazzling first impression at Sprint Heritage Hall as he spoke of his new job, his family and the difficulty he had in leaving his players at Texas A&M.
“It [took] a great job for me to move,” Turgeon said. “It was gonna take a special one for me to move my family. And Maryland’s a special place. That’s why I’m here.”
After going 97-40 and leading Texas A&M to four appearances in the NCAA tournament in as many seasons, Turgeon was drawn by Maryland’s commitment to basketball.
“I’ve heard great things about Maryland basketball fans. I’m excited to be in this building,” Turgeon said. “It’s a school that loves basketball. I was lucky enough to play at the University of Kansas, and they were the same way.”
Turgeon also said he was undaunted by the challenge of replacing a likely Hall of Fame coach in Gary Williams, who had a 461-252 record in 22 years at his alma mater. Turgeon said he was encouraged by Williams to take the job and appreciated his candor in a phone conversation Sunday, when Turgeon said he had some “pretty direct questions.”
“I’m obviously standing here because of Gary Williams,” Turgeon said. “He did it with class. He did it with dignity. He did it the right way. I’d like to think I have a lot of the same qualities, so it should be an easy transition with the players.”
Turgeon first heard from Maryland on Thursday of last week, the day news broke of Williams’ retirement. Turgeon said he was immediately excited about the prospect of coaching the Terrapins and told his wife to be prepared to move.
A day later, Turgeon was in the Allegheny Mountains. When he finally reached Anderson and a Sunday night meeting was arranged, Turgeon said all he had to wear was sweat pants, shorts and Texas A&M shirts. Anderson said that was fine and that he would be in jeans and a sweater.
“When he left the meeting, I knew it was my job to take,” Turgeon said. “The hardest part for me, if you know anything about me, was telling my players I wasn’t coming back.”
Turgeon paused and blinked away a tear as he recalled the meeting.
He showed his sense of humor moments later however when asked about Williams.
“I had a great conversation with Gary. He made me feel comfortable,” Turgeon said. “I know Gary’s not going to try to sabotage Maryland basketball.”
