Maryland got trounced in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Monday. Behind some on-point shooting, the 10-seeded Terrapins were dispatched with ease, 96-77, by the 2-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide.
And after another season in which the Terps failed to advance to the Sweet 16, questions are being asked: Is head coach Mark Turgeon the right guy for the job?
And at Maryland, Turgeon hasn’t been a flop. After joining in 2011 after legendary coach Gary Williams retired, he has amassed a 221-113 (.662) record in his 10 seasons. And has a 105-79 (.571) record in conference play, with his first three seasons competing in the ACC.
However, the knock is his lack of postseason success: Maryland has made the Sweet 16 just once (2016) and has just five NCAA Tournament wins from five trips. The Terps have missed March Madness in four of his seasons but did make the semifinal of the NIT in 2013.
But is that enough for a school with a decent basketball pedigree and situated in an area home to many high-quality recruits, like Maryland?
Brendan Darr, the producer of The Kevin Sheehan Show, said Tuesday the problem comes down to recruiting and consistency.
“He is a good coach and he is a good man. And he did overachieve this year,” Darr said. “Coming into this season and being picked 10th or 12th [in the Big Ten]... is unacceptable. And part of the reason it’s unacceptable is because he’s not recruiting the local high schools very well.”
Darr added that Turgeon is not consistently getting the top talent from DeMatha or Gonzaga or St. John.
“It’s not easy to get those guys every year, I completely understand that,” Darr added. “But there has to be some consistency to that. And there has to be some consistency in the play. You’ve gotta consistently get to the second weekend of an NCAA Tournament. And he’s just not doing that.”
Related
So should Turgeon stay or be replaced, Kevin Sheehan asked.
“I think it’s in the best interest of everybody if he moves on to another program,” Darr said. “I know it’s not ‘grass is always greener’ you’re not 100 percent going to get a better coach, but that can’t be the reason that a move is not made. So I would move on from Turgeon.”
And in a poll of Kevin Sheehan Show listeners, 70 percent feel Turgeon is not the right gut to produce more.
“I don’t want Mark Turgeon to go anywhere,” Sheehan said on The Team 980 Tuesday.
And Sheehan’s top reason: There needs to be “a solution when the guy that I have is good.”
"I want Mark to be given an extension of another two years," Sheehan said. "Give him two to three more years [as coach] because I think the last three to four years it's trended upwards."
Of course, many Terps fans are ready to see Turgeon go.
Of course, not everybody shares that point, but even Turgeon defenders are tepid in their defense of the head coach.
“It is possible if Turgeon doesn’t get a contract extension he’s not back next year,” Sheehan said, adding Turgeon has two years remaining on his current contract.
“If Mark Turgeon became available he’d have plenty of opportunities, trust me. There are plenty of people who would love to have Mark Turgeon as their head basketball coach.”
For many fans, the risk that the grass may not be always greener, is worth it when you have the chance to get some new grass.
Follow @BenKrimmel for the latest
Related
