It's Turgeon Time

Mark Turgeon, the newly appointed head coach of the Terps men's basketball team, may have come close to missing his shot at the job.

The news that the position was up for grabs came last week as Turgeon, , and his family were about to embark on a 3-day camping trip to rural Pennsylvania. Turgeon was without cell service between Friday and Sunday afternoon, and when University of Maryland Athletic Director Kevin Anderson finally got ahold of him Sunday night, there was no time for pleasantries.

"I said, 'I'm in Pittsburgh, and [Anderson] said 'Well, I'm driving to meet you,' Turgeon said at a midday press conference on Wednesday. "I didn't know I was going to be interviewing for Maryland. I hadn't shaved. I said 'Kevin, all I have is sweats, shorts and Texas A&M shirts. Are you OK with that?'"

He was. The two met Sunday night. By Monday, the deal was done: Turgeon was officially named the next coach of the Maryland men's basketball team, taking the reins less than a week after announced his retirement on Thursday.

Turgeon comes to UMd. following a four-year run at A&M, where he was named Big 12 Coach of the Year in both the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Prior to that, he served as the head coach at Wichita State for seven seasons. 

Asked whether he's worried about replacing Williams, who saw the team to a national title, 14 NCAA tournaments and a total of 461 wins during his 22-year tenure as Terps head coach, Turgeon said he is undaunted.

"If I was apprehensive, I wouldn't be standing here," he said. "My style of play is winning."

Though his official coaching duties won't commence until August, Turgeon has already met with the team as a whole and was scheduled to meet with players one-on-one Wednesday afternoon.

While the change will be difficult for the players, particularly following the loss of superstar center Jordan Williams to the NBA draft, Turgeon is confident in his ability to navigate the transition smoothly.

"I told the guys yesterday 'Just relax. Everything's going to be fine. I'm a good guy,' he said. "I like to think I have a lot of the same qualities that Gary has, so it should be an easy transition for the players and for the fans."

Despite whatever similarities Turgeon may bear to the former head coach, Turgeon said he does not want to spend too much time dwelling on the past. He acknowledged that with the exception of the time the Terps trumped Florida State in February, he hasn't seen a single UMd. basketball game this season.

"I don't want to watch a lot of film from last year and judge them on the way they were playing," he said. "I want to judge it on the way I want to coach."

Turgeon declined to name any specific goals for the future of the team. He said he hopes to build on Williams' success and guide the team to even greater heights. At the end of the day, though, his mission is simple:

"I want people to fear the Turtle."