Mark Turgeon has confirmed that he will be the new Maryland basketball head coach, telling Brent Zwerneman of the San Antonio Express-News of his decision after meeting with his Texas A&M players. Turgeon said that as much as he loved Texas A&M, the chance to go to Maryland was "too good" to pass on.
Turgeon added that Maryland has a great basketball tradition and that leaving Texas A&M was a very difficult decision.
"I told the players this is the hardest decision I've ever had to make," Turgeon said after he met with his team.
Turgeon said his outgoing players were very upset at him, which he can't blame. It remains unclear just how much Turgeon would make at Maryland. The only report of his salary comes from Billy Liucci of TexAgs.com, who reports that Turgeon will make up to $2.5 million a year. Gary Williams was in the $2 million a year range when he was head coach.