Local AAU coaches weigh in on Mark Turgeon
A quick scan of Mark Turgeon's bio reveals no obvious ties to the Baltimore-Washington area.
But while Turgeon's past isn't rooted in the East Coast, the reaction to Maryland's basketball hire among local AAU coaches has been almost unanimously positive.
Keith Stevens of the D.C.-based Team Takeover said he got a call from Turgeon late Monday night, shortly after the former Texas A&M coach accepted the Maryland job.
“I think that shows his commitment level, not only to myself, but to the other AAU and high school coaches in the community,” Stevens said. “He wants to be involved. He wants us to play a part in the growth of the program.”
Stevens -- whose program features Maryland targets and DeMatha players Jerami Grant and Bee Jay Anya -- said he has dealt with Turgeon in the past. Stevens said Turgeon and Scott Spinelli -- Turgeon’s associate head coach in College Station -- have “very good connections locally.”
“He’s very active,” Stevens said. “He’s going to be out there considerably. You’re going to see him as much as you see the assistant coaches.”
It’s no secret that Gary Williams’ relationship with D.C. Assault was tepid at best. Damon Handon, a director of operations for the Washington-based program, said he’s never met Turgeon, but he expects the new Terps coach to be visible and do a good job at developing relationships with local coaches.
“From all indications, he’s going to recruit this area hard and try to keep some of the talent in the area,” Handon said. “If you look at the playoffs this year, Delonte West, Jeff Green, Sam Young, Kevin Durant. All those guys are from Prince George’s County, where the school is located. None of those guys attended the University of Maryland for whatever reason. That’s just those guys. There are probably seven or eight more in the NBA right now that are from P.G. County."
Handon said Turgeon was “a good hire” for Maryland, noting that he’s been successful not only at the high-major level, but also at Wichita State and Jacksonville State.
“Obviously he’s a good coach and he’s had just two losing seasons,” Handon said. “So I know he’s a good coach and also a good recruiter. I know they signed [Baltimore native and DeMatha grad] Naji Hibbert from the area. So he has recruited this area before.”
Nick Myles -- St. Frances’ athletic director, an assistant boys basketball coach for the Panthers, and the travel and finance director for the Under Armour-sponsored B’more’s Finest AAU team -- cited Turgeon’s “proven track record” as an obvious plus. The key for Turgeon in College Park will be “to come meet the area coaches -- high school and AAU -- and build that relationship.”
“I think everybody in the area wants Maryland to be successful. That’s our flagship program,” Myles said. “Anything we can do to make it work, we’re willing to do.”
• Note: Kansas State transfer Wally Judge has committed to Rutgers. The former Bladensburg star and D.C. Assault player took an official visit to Maryland the weekend before Williams retired.
Comments
I like that Turgeon is already doing what he needs to do to build a successful program, but the fact that he is reaching out to local AAU coaches before he even talks to current assistant coaches is a sad commentary on the state of NCAA basketball.
Posted by: mo | May 10, 2011 10:22 PM
With all due respect, I'm not sure how you know Turgeon has not talked with current assistant coaches yet. I'm sure that was his first order of business.
Posted by: coach4life | May 10, 2011 10:53 PM
What's truly a sad reflection on the state of college hoops is that we're reading a blog entry and quotes from an AAU basketball coach. I know that the man mentioned could be considered a big deal on the Baltimore/Washington hoops scene, but what real interest does this person have in the future of his roster and their education, player by player? The AAU is predominantly a showcase and the style of game has no similarity to the college one. Stars turn into primped brats who are ready to shop services. Now there's Under Armour sponsoring B'more's Finest. Wonder where their star players will start to go, not that I have much issue with it, but it's b.s. That's reality and the fact that these coaches are mentioned is just garbage
Posted by: Ed OG | May 11, 2011 1:49 AM
You're right, I apologize, I wish I could delete my last post. I read a quote by Coach Ranson, where he said he had not heard about being retained, and mis-read it as he had not heard from Coach Turgeon.
And just to be clear, I really have no problem with the college or AAU coaches. I just have a problem with the way the system is set up right now. I don't like a system where a man can recruit players and then leave for a better job, but the players are then penalized if they don't want to stay at the school...I'm sorry, I'm getting off on a rant, I just am frustrated in a supposed "amature" sports with all the money, sponsorships, TV deals etc. I love the game, and I love my terps, so I'll just stop now.
Again, coach4life I'm sorry for misrepresenting the quote from another article.
Posted by: mo | May 11, 2011 8:53 AM
Coach T met with all the assistants @3pm yesterday........he's a BUSY man right now.
Posted by: Pete Zahutt | May 11, 2011 9:50 AM
Ed OG, welcome to the current state of youth basketball. Middle school sports probably won't exist in 5 years due to school budget cuts. High school coaches have been marginalized for years and it is getting worse. AAU fills the gap and the NCAA hasn't done anything to stop it. Turgeon is smart to reach out to ALL constituents that will have a stake in the recruiting game. I'm sure he will do things the right way, like Williams did, BUT will not ignore reputable AAU programs.
Posted by: KT | May 13, 2011 7:18 PM