Maryland’s Head Basketball Coach Mark Turgeon mutually agrees to part ways with UMD
Mark Turgeon is pictured here in 2018, encouraging the players on the men’s Maryland basketball team to take leadership and strive to get back into the NCAA tournament.
(Tommy Gilligan /USA TODAY Sports Images)
Veteran men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon agreed to part ways with the University of Maryland after 11 seasons.
Throughout Turgeon’s time coaching at Maryland, he earned a record of 226-116 and took the team to the sweet 16 in the NCAA March Madness tournament in the 2015-2016 season. It was the first time in 13 years that the Maryland men’s basketball team had advanced to the sweet 16.
Unfortunately for Turgeon, the rough 5-3 start of the 2021-2022 season was not satisfactory for fans or the Maryland athletic department. After the team lost 62-58 against Virginia Tech last week, people in the stadium chanted “fire Turgeon!”
Ultimately, after having led the Terps to the NCAA tournament five out of the last six seasons, Turgeon and the University of Maryland decided it was best for the coach to step down from the men’s basketball program. The decision is effective immediately.
"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 Damion Evans, the university’s director of athletics in aMaryland Athletics press release.
Turgeon was able to secure a deal with the University of Maryland for $3.3 million dollars per season until the 2025-2026 season, as well as a five million dollar buyout if Turgeon was fired before May 1, 2022.
Maryland Athletics is honoring this five million dollar buyout even though the decision to part ways was mutual.
“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," Evans said.
The national search for the replacement head coach will begin at the end of the basketball season, announced the Maryland Athletics Department. Until then, Danny Manning will be the interim head coach.
Manning was hired as an assistant coach in April 2021. Turgeon has known Manning since college, where the two played on the basketball team at the University of Kansas from 1984 to 1987.
“As a player, Manning's resume is unrivaled. His list of accomplishments are what young players dream of achieving,” wrote the Maryland Athletics Department.
Manning has a lot of experience. He was a NCAA Champion, a number one overall NBA draft pick, NBA All-Star and Hall of Famer, as well as the winner of a national title as an assistant coach at Kansas.
"Coach Manning has been a head coach at the highest level and we have the utmost confidence in his abilities to lead this program,” announced the Maryland Athletics Department.