So much for easing into his tenure at College Park. Maryland Athletic Director Kevin Anderson makes the second of two program defining changes in his first year on the job. Less than six months after ending Ralph Friedgen's ten year tenure and replacing him with fresh-from-the-Fiesta Bowl Randy Edsall... Anderson replaces the retiring Gary Williams with a coach who has four straight NCAA Tournament appearances under his belt.
Mark Turgeon comes to College Park having built a program at Wichita State (Sweet Sixteen in 2006--they lost to George Mason in the regional semis)... and having continued Billy Gillespie's success at Texas A & M (averaging 24 wins in four seasons). His hoops roots are solid-- having played for Larry Brown at Kansas in the mid-80's and then having served as an assistant under Brown and Roy Williams. Turgeon's won wherever he's been... from Jacksonville State to Wichita State (2006 Sweet 16 run that ended with a loss to George Mason) to Texas A & M.
His tenure in College Station saw four NCAA appearances-- one #5 seed, one 7th seed and two #9's... going 3-4 with three trips to the round of 32 (sorry, NCAA-I can't call it "Third Round" just yet). A&M gained the reputation as a guard oriented team under his tenure... playing man to man with occasional zone defensively. Turgeon's recruited locally in the Lone Star State (8 of 14 players on last years roster) and will likely maintain his contacts in Houston and Dallas. He's not unfamiliar with ACC country-- having landed players from Baltimore, South Carolina and Miami in recent years.
The more things change-- the more they stay the same. In 1989 Maryland hired a 44-year old coach who'd been at three stops previously with an average record of 19-12 over 11 seasons. This year the Terps tap a 46-year old who'd had three previous head coaching jobs-- averaging a 19-12 mark over 13 seasons. This in no way guarantees Turgeon will be a slam-dunk... but all signs point to this being a good move for both the new coach and his new employer.
Foggy Bottom Forecast-- George Washington brings Mike Lonergan home to the district... the onetime Catholic University coach (led the Cardinals to the 2001 Division III National Championship) comes to the Smith Center fresh off six successful seasons at Vermont (including 2010 NCAA and 2011 NIT appearances). Lonergan looks to bring an up-tempo feel to the Colonials and can definitely build on the progress begun by coach Karl Hobbs over the last decade. Different types of coaches have won at GW, from Mike Jarvis to Tom Penders to Hobbs... and there's no reason to think Lonergan won't do the same.
VACANCY-- Navy has an opening... after seven seasons at the helm, Billy Lange leaves Annapolis for Jay Wright's staff at Villanova. The Midshipmen were 93-113 under his guidance-- with a peak of 19-11 two years ago and a second place Patriot League finish in 2008. He'd previously been an assistant with the Wildcats. Navy's last postseason appearance came in 1998 under Don DeVoe... and the troubles of recruiting to a service academy (one with height restrictions to boot) is always a challenge in basketball.
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