Mark Turgeon will be the next Maryland basketball head coach, according to a report by Jeff Goodman of FOX Sports. Turgeon, who has spent the last four years at Texas A&M, will replace Gary Williams, who retired on Thursday after 22 years on the job. Turgeon accepts the job after Sean Miller, Jay Wright, Mike Brey and Brad Stevens all turned it down.
Turgeon was reportedly offered the job earlier Monday, and he was already leaning towards accepting it. He left things in limbo, though, until he told his staff and his Texas A&M players of his decision on Monday night. He leaves Texas A&M after taking it to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four years, a nice accomplishment for a football-dominated school. However, he had not reached the Sweet 16 in any of those four years. Prior to that, he was the Wichita State basketball coach, where he did take the Shockers to the Sweet 16 in 2006.
Turgeon takes the job after Williams retired on Thursday, formally announcing his decision in a Friday press conference. Maryland is potentially one of the top open jobs in the country, but a lot of it depends on how much the coach tries to cultivate recruiting relationships locally. The area has a lot of high-school talent, but Williams, despite his tremendous success, didn't always use it, letting several high-profile recruits go elsewhere.
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