Post by efg72 on Dec 3, 2021 17:19:31 GMT -5
Maryland coaching search: John Beilein, Andy Enfield, Mark Pope potential candidates to replace Mark Turgeon
If Danny Manning doesn't turn things around for the Terrapins, here's a few candidates Maryland should consider
Matt Norlander
By Matt Norlander
1 hr ago
2 min read
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Mark Turgeon and Maryland mutually agreed to sever ties on Friday, opening up one of the 20 best jobs in college basketball. Terrapins assistant coach Danny Manning is taking over as the interim coach. He has experience, given he coached at Wake Forest from 2014-20. If Maryland can turn things around under Manning, perhaps he'd be considered for the job full-time. But of course the school will thoroughly search for candidates across the country.
There's no telling who is actually a viable candidate right now; the split happened on Friday and these things will take a little time, even behind the scenes.
But if I were Maryland athletic director Damon Evans, this is an initial list of potential candidates I'd be considering to start with.
John Beilein, Detroit Pistons executive: He's 68 but he has had tremendous success at the college level and in the Big Ten, of course, at Michigan. I don't think he'll return to college coaching and I don't think he'd be excited to go back to the Big Ten and coach against Michigan. But if I'm Maryland, obviously I'm lobbing a phone call. Because you never know.
Mark Schmidt, St. Bonaventure coach: Fans of the Bonnies have adored Schmidt for years, and rightfully so. At this stage he should be considered the best Bona coach ever. He's got a team that was ranked in the AP poll, something that hadn't been done at that school in 50 years. Schmidt has been passed over for a few high-major jobs in recent years, but he's owed the opportunity at this point. You could do much worse, that's for sure.
Kevin Willard, Seton Hall coach: Willard has been at Seton Hall since 2010 and has accumulated a 210-150 record with the Pirates. Willard's led SHU to the NCAA Tournament four times, though he's never made the Sweet 16. Turgeon only got that far once, and it was a sticking point with most of the fan base. But Willard's built for the Maryland job, that I can tell you.
Andy Enfield, USC coach: Out of left field? Maybe not so much. Enfield is from the area, has made the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament with two schools (FGCU, USC) and has another NCAA Tournament-level team this season after making the Elite Eight last season. I don't know if he'd want to leave living in southern Cali, but he's familiar with the region and has won 60% of his games as a power-conference coach.
Mark Pope, BYU coach: If Pope wants a bigger job, he's going to eventually get one. BYU is 50-16 since he took over. The Cougars would've easily made the 2020 NCAA Tournament if there was one. Last season BYU went 20-7 and lost to UCLA which went on to the Final Four. Pope has tremendous energy and played at Kentucky, so he understands the nature of being involved at a huge basketball school.
Kim English, George Mason coach: By far the youngest of the group. English is merely 4-4 to this point in his first head-coaching go of it at George Mason, but one of those wins came at Maryland this season. English is also from the area. I'd consider him a long-shot candidate at this stage, but he's a coach with a very bright future ahead.
Maryland and Mark Turgeon agree to part ways after a 5-3 start to his 11th season as coach of Terrapins
Maryland and Mark Turgeon agree to part ways after a 5-3 start to his 11th season as coach of Terrapins
Danny Manning will serve as Maryland's interim coach, the school announced
David Cobb
By David Cobb
3 hrs ago
4 min read
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Just eight games into the season, Maryland and basketball coach Mark Turgeon are parting ways. The school announced Friday that Turgeon is stepping down as coach of the Terrapins "in a mutual decision."
Assistant coach Danny Manning will serve as the interim coach, beginning with Maryland's next game on Sunday against Northwestern. The Terrapins are 5-3 but have underperformed thus far as the start of Big Ten play looms.
"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," Maryland athletic director Damon Evans said. "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."
After beginning the season ranked No. 21 in the AP Top 25, the Terrapins have underperformed thus far with home losses against George Masonand Virginia Tech and a neutral-site loss against Louisville. Their best win is a victory over Richmond. For a program that was lauded for its use of the transfer portal this offseason with the addition of point guard Fatts Russell from Rhode Island and center Qudus Wahab from Georgetown, the results have been disappointing.
The university announced a contract extension for Turgeon through the 2025-26 season in April after some speculation that he may be interested in moving on. He finishes his tenure 221-113 in 10 full seasons and was one month into his 11th season as Maryland's coach before stepping down.
"After several in depth conversations with Damon, I have decided that the best thing for Maryland Basketball, myself and my family is to step down, effective immediately, as the head coach of Maryland Basketball," Turgeon said. "I have always preached that Maryland Basketball is bigger than any one individual. My departure will enable a new voice to guide the team moving forward."
Turgeon, a former Kansas point guard and college teammate of Manning, previously served as coach at Texas A&M, Wichita State and Wichita State. Here are the takeaways from Friday's announcement.
Postseason peril
Despite his sold overall record and the fact that Maryland never truly bottomed out under his direction, Turgeon consistently received criticism for the postseason performance of his teams. Just once in five NCAA Tournament appearances did the Terrapins advance past the first weekend of the Big Dance under his watch. That came in 2016, when Maryland made the Sweet 16 but was promptly bounced by No. 1 seed Kansas.
There will always be a question of what could have been with the Terrapins in 2020 had the COVID-19 pandemic not ended the sport's postseason. Maryland won nine straight Big Ten games over a month-long span that season and spent the entire season inside the top-20. It shared the Big Ten regular season title with Michigan State and Wisconsin and finished with a 24-7 (14-6) record. The team was surging and positioned for a postseason run until college basketball shut down.
Season not shot
Manning was in his first season as a Maryland assistant after taking a season off from coaching following a six-year run coaching Wake Forest. Manning posted a 78-111 record with the Demon Deacons, leading them to one NCAA Tournament appearance during his time.
His record at Wake Forest wasn't great, but Manning was successful at Tulsa before his Wake Forest stop, and he proved to be a good talent developer with the Demon Deacons even if the results didn't follow. It's not a stretch to suggest that Maryland could still compete in the Big Ten and jockey for an NCAA Tournament appearance this season under Manning's direction.
The Terrapins are off to an awful start in 3-point shooting, ranking 344th nationally as of Friday with a percentage of just 26.8%. As key players such as Eric Ayala, Donta Scott and Russell begin to catch up with their career shooting averages, this team should find another gear offensively.
Turgeon's next move
With a career mark of 476-275 and successful runs with three solid brands, Turgeon could still have another move left. He's just 56, and there should be some interested schools as jobs begin to open in the coming months. The lack of a Final Four-type breakthrough in over a decade at Maryland had clearly created tension between Turgeon and the fan base.
With a new environment, perhaps somewhere closer to his roots in Kansas, Turgeon could find himself back on the big stage as a head coach sooner rather than later. Of course, someone with his track record will likely also have opportunities in broadcasting or other fields. It's also not uncommon for coaches to take a season off, like Manning did last season, before getting back into the care of the basketball. So it's just really important for us to stay process-based, keep our focus right there, and have fun."
