Community Champion: UMD Basketball Coach Mark Turgeon

We are honored to announce Coach Mark Turgeon as our Community Champion for the 2020 Johnny Holliday Golf Classic!

In addition to his success on the court, Coach Turgeon is a leader in the local and national community, supporting the Special Olympic and several organizations fighting cancer. His bio is included below.

This year, Mark joins a distinguished list of past recipients of the YLF Community Champion Award, including Brooks Robinson, Ryan Zimmerman, Kevin Plank, the Lerner Family, and Gary Williams.

This year's golf event will take place on October 5, 2020 - more information here.

Our thanks to Mark and all our wonderful supporters!

-Janaiha Bennett

Mark Turgeon is fresh off his ninth season at the helm of the University of Maryland men’s basketball team, most recently leading the Terrapins to the 2020 Big Ten Championship. Turgeon has recorded winning seasons in all nine years and four NCAA Tournaments appearances in the last five applicable seasons, while being named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2015.

Turgeon is active in the College Park community and has hosted the Coaches vs. Cancer Season Tip-Off Breakfast in conjunction with the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches for five years. Over the past four seasons, Turgeon worked with the Infiniti Coaches Charity Challenge to raise money and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association. In addition, Turgeon and his team worked with the Special Olympics of Maryland and hosted a basketball clinic for athletes in the organization along with inviting them to home games the past five seasons. Turgeon also participated in the Special Olympics Relay Across America carrying the Flame for Hope through the College Park campus in 2016.

In an unfortunate set of circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Turgeon’s Big Ten Championship-winning Terrapins were unable to compete in the postseason. Having claimed just the program’s seventh regular season title in its history, Maryland was 24-7 and a lock for at least a top-4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Turgeon has led three different programs to 13 applicable postseason appearances, which includes the Terps advancing to their first Sweet 16 in 13 years in the 2015-2016 season. Turgeon signed a four-year contract extension through the 2022-23 season on Oct. 27, 2016.

In his first nine seasons at Maryland, Turgeon has compiled a 204-99 (.673) record. He claimed his 200th victory at Maryland in the 2019-20 season, becoming the second-fastest coach in program history to reach the milestone behind Lefty Driesell. Turgeon’s .591 win percentage in conference action overall (ACC & B1G) is the best in program history, with Hall of Famers Gary Williams (.553) and Driesell trailing just behind (.550).

Under Turgeon, Maryland has thrived in its six seasons as members of the Big Ten Conference, earning five top-5 finishes and compiling a 72-39 (.658) conference record while claiming the 2020 Big Ten Title. Turgeon’s teams boast a 44-10 (.815) home record in conference play. He was named the 2015 Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Turgeon’s consistency in Big Ten Conference action is stark, leading all active Big Ten coaches with an average 12.2 conference wins per season in his six-year career in the conference. Additionally, Turgeon’s .652 win percentage in Big Ten play ranks fifth among coaches with at least 50 wins in the last 40 years, trailing only Bo Ryan (.717), Bob Knight (.700), Tom Izzo (.696) and Thad Matta (.658).

Turgeon is the only coach in program history to record at least three 24-plus regular season-win seasons, having achieved the feat four times.

Over the last six seasons dating back to 2014-15, Maryland has been ranked in 74 of 116 Associated Press Top-25 polls. The Terps have been spent 30 of those weeks in the top-10, after previously not reaching the top-10 since 2003.

Since taking over the program in 2011-12, Turgeon’s Terrapins have amassed a 136-26 (.840) home record overall. Maryland’s 47 wins at home since the start of 2017-18 are the most of any Big Ten Conference team. The Terps recorded the most consecutive wins at home in program history (27) from Dec. 6, 2015 - Feb. 13, 2016.

Turgeon led the Terrapins to a 30-11 record through their first 41 Big Ten games, becoming the fastest Big Ten coach to reach 30 conference wins since former Illinois mentor Bruce Weber guided the Illini to 30 victories in his first 35 conference games.

Turgeon has led his teams to a winning season in 19 of his 22 seasons, including a current streak of 18 consecutive winning seasons. The Terps won 27 or more games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 campaigns.

Cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic, Turgeon’s 2019-20 team, which was ranked 12th in the final AP poll, will never know what would have transpired in the postseason. Instead, it is remembered for its final game of the season when the Terrapins cut down the nets after defeating Michigan to claim the 2020 Big Ten Championship. The Terps finished 24-7 (14-6) and were a lock for a top-4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Sophomore Jalen Smith was a unanimous Third Team All-American and a finalist for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award, while senior Anthony Cowan Jr. earned his third All-Big Ten Conference nod while being named a Wooden Award candidate.

The 2018-19 team flourished despite boasting the fourth-youngest team in the nation and playing the eighth-toughest schedule, advancing to the NCAA Tournament Second Round. The Terps won 13 games in the Big Ten Conference, and featured sophomore Bruno Fernando, who was the only player in the Big Ten to earn All-Big Ten First Team and All-Defense honors. Fernando was also a top-5 finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award for the nation’s top center.

In 2016-17 Turgeon led Maryland to a 24-9 record, with an impressive 11-2 mark away from XFINITY Center and its aforementioned third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. With a 20-2 record through 22 games in 2016-17, Turgeon topped the 1998-99 squad for the best regular season start in program history. Additionally, Turgeon was instrumental in the development of three-time All-Big Ten guard Melo Trimble, who became one of just four players to post 1,600 points, 400 assists and 150 steals at Maryland. Trimble was also just one of two players (Joe Smith) in school history to record 500 or more points in each of his first two seasons at Maryland.

Under Turgeon’s direction the 2015-16 team finished with 27 victories and opened the regular season with a 15-1 record – the best start in program history. Maryland featured five All-Big Ten performers, including guard Melo Trimble (Second Team All-Big Ten) who was also named to the Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America Team. Center Diamond Stone was a Third Team All-Big Ten selection and was named Associated Press Big Ten Newcomer of the Year. Forwards Jake Layman and Robert Carter, Jr., as well as guard Rasheed Sulaimon each earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors.

Maryland, ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press and No. 12 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll, finished 27-9, marking the first time in program history the Terps have put together back-to-back 27-plus win seasons. The Terrapins also led the Big Ten and ranked fifth nationally in attendance in 2015-16, averaging 17,863 fans per game.

Maryland posted a school-record 26 wins during the regular season in 2014-15 and notched 28 total, an eight-game improvement from its 17 victories during the 2013-14 season. The 11-game win total was the second-highest improvement among all Power Five schools. Maryland also advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Turgeon posted 25 or more wins in a season for the fourth time in his career.

The Terps finished their inaugural season in the Big Ten with a 9-0 home record, which included victories against then-No. 5 Wisconsin, Michigan State and Indiana. Overall, Maryland concluded with an 18-1 home mark at XFINITY Center. Maryland’s 14-1 record in 2014-15 marked its best start in 18 years (1996-97).

Since arriving in College Park, Turgeon has signed seven consecutive nationally-ranked recruiting classes, including a top-10 class in 2016.

Under Turgeon, the men’s basketball team posted its highest single year APR score of a perfect 1,000 in 2012-13 and has also graduated all 13 of his student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility at Maryland.

In 2013, he captured his 300th career victory with an 85-74 defeat of Tulsa on Dec. 29, before leading the Terps to a thrilling overtime win against No. 5 Virginia in Maryland’s final ACC regular season game.

After bringing in a top-15 recruiting class in 2012, Turgeon led the Terrapins to a 25-13 record (most wins in six seasons) and appearances in the ACC Tournament semifinals and the NIT semifinals in 2012-13.

Turgeon directed Maryland to three wins over a ranked team in 2012-13 after Maryland had gone two seasons without one. The Terps were the only team in the nation to beat Duke twice, while also knocking off then-14th ranked NC State at home in January. Maryland’s win over Duke at home on Feb. 16 was its first over a No. 1 ranked opponent in five years.

Turgeon, who came to College Park after directing Texas A&M to four consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament, led Maryland to a 17-15 record in 2011-12. At A&M, he posted a 97-40 record in four seasons and was named the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year in both 2010 and 2011. He is the only coach in Big 12 history with at least 24 victories in each of his four seasons.

In seven years at Wichita State, he built the Shockers into a power in the Missouri Valley Conference, earning the league title and an NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2006. In that NCAA Tournament, Wichita State beat Seton Hall and Tennessee before losing to eventual Final Four participant George Mason.

Turgeon has coached and developed nine future NBA players: Gal Mekel, Donald Sloan, Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks), DeAndre Jordan (Brooklyn Nets), Alex Len (Sacramento Kings), Jake Layman (Minnesota Timberwolves), Diamond Stone, Kevin Huerter (Atlanta Hawks) and Bruno Fernando (Atlanta Hawks). Len was selected in the first round (fifth overall) by the Suns in the 2013 NBA Draft and Huerter was selected 19th overall in the first round by the Atlanta Hawks in 2018. In addition, multiple former players are playing in the NBA’s G-League and overseas.

Turgeon amassed a 128-89 record at Wichita State (2000-07), posting the third-most wins in school history. The Shockers advanced to three straight NITs from 2003 to 2005 in addition to the 2006 NCAAs, the first time WSU had four straight postseason appearances in 40 years.

He began his head-coaching career at Jacksonville State, going 17-11 in his final season there (1999-2000) after going 8-18 in his first year.

Turgeon was an assistant at Kansas for five seasons, first under Larry Brown (1987-88) and then under Roy Williams (1988-92). The Jayhawks made the NCAA Tournament in four of those seasons, winning the national championship in 1988 and finishing second in 1991. KU also won Big Eight titles in 1991 and 1992 with Turgeon on staff.

He was the top assistant under Jerry Green at Oregon from 1992-97 and was an assistant coach under Brown with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1997-98 before taking the head coaching position at Jacksonville State.

A point guard at Kansas from 1984-87, Turgeon was the first player in Jayhawks history to play in four straight NCAA Tournaments. KU went 108-33 under Brown in that stretch. Turgeon served as team captain in his junior and senior seasons, leading the Jayhawks to the 1986 NCAA Final Four.

As a student-athlete, he was selected to the Big Eight All-Academic Team in 1986 and was a Big Eight All-Freshman pick in 1984. He earned a bachelor of science degree in personnel administration from Kansas in 1987.

A native of Topeka, Kan., Turgeon led Hayden High School to back-to-back Class 4A state titles in 1982 and 1983, earning all-tournament honors each year. A first team all-state pick as a senior, Hayden went 47-3 in his high-school career.

In the summer of 2008, Turgeon was inducted into the Topeka Sports Hall of Fame. He was also honored as the 2015 Kansan of the Year in June, 2015.

Additionally, Turgeon was selected as a court coach for the USA Basketball Pan-American Team in preparation for the Pan-Am Games in the summer of 2015. The following year, Turgeon served as an assistant coach for USA Basketball’s Under-18 Team, working with head coach Shaka Smart and assistant coach Kevin Ollie, in helping guide the squad to a gold medal. On June 13, 2016, he was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Ad Hoc committee on NCAA men’s basketball tournament selection, seeding and bracketing.

Turgeon (“TURGE-in”) is married to the former Ann Fowler of Chicago, Ill, and they have two sons - William (Will) and Leo - and a daughter, Ella. Will currently plays basketball at nearby Catholic University.