Maryland Basketball: Mark Turgeon and Terrapins program agree to part ways

It’s the sudden end to the Mark Turgeon era at Maryland Basketball. Was this the right move and how will the program move forward?

Today, in the eyes of most is a stunning day, as The University of Maryland and Head Coach Mark Turgeon have agreed to mutually parts ways and the school has named Danny Manning as the interim head coach for the Terps.

I can’t say that I am surprised as Turgeon’s tenure at Maryland has been a roller coaster ride for sure. It has been a love-hate relationship and one that eventually was going to end this way one way or another.

Over the last ten years while at the helm, Turgeon went 476-275 overall (.634) and 105-79 (571) in conference play between three seasons in the ACC and seven in the Big Ten. He also led the Terp’s to the post-season NCAA Tournament five of the last six seasons (6-of-7 if counting 2019-20 the pandemic year). Turgeon led the Terrapins to the 2020 Big Ten Championship and recorded winning seasons in all 10 years in College Park.

Here is a quote from the Maryland Athletic Department “After a series of conversations with Coach Turgeon, we agreed that a coaching change was the best move for Coach Turgeon and for the Maryland Men’s Basketball program,” said Damon Evans, Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics.

"“He has dedicated over a decade of his life to the University of Maryland and has coached with distinction and honor. He leaves College Park as the 2020 Big Ten Conference champion and with more than 225 victories. He’s a great coach and a great person, and I wish Mark, his wife Ann, and his entire family all the best in the next chapter of their lives.”"

As a lifelong and diehard Terps fan, here is the best way I can make sense of this.

Last year The Terps has a decent roster and had some pretty good, but was lacking a true point guard and big man, so they clawed and scratched their way to a 2nd round appearance in the NCAA tournament in a crushing defeat against Alabama 96-77.

So, he was rewarded with a contract extension over the summer. He hit the transfer portal hard and got his point guard, big man, and added depth. With talent already on campus, the transfers from the portal and the impressive incoming freshman class, expectations this year were pretty high.

In the first two games, things were off to a good start, and then over the course of the last several games, you could just tell that something was just a miss. Something didn’t seem right to me. With the current talent, the Terp’s should be better than their 5-3 record. If you think about it, realistically there record could very well be 3-5. With this last game against VA Tech being the final nail in the coffin for fans.

I know the timing is horrible, but I think, in the long run, it might be the best thing for Turge and the program. We (Terp fans) want and expect more than just one Sweet Sixteen appearance and the fan base is passionate about its Terps, so I think things just came to a head.

I feel as though the Maryland men’s basketball coaching job is one of top 20 coaching jobs in America, not only because of the fan base but because the DMV is one of the best hotbeds for high school talent in the Country.

The Terps have the best high school talent right outside its back door. So I think the opening is one that is an attractive job opening.