Maryland Basketball: Mark Turgeon Extension Good for Terps Hoops

Maryland basketball has been in good hands under Mark Turgeon, and he was rewarded with an extension this week.

The University on Thursday put out a statement regarding the extension of men’s basketball head coach Mark Turgeon’s contract.

Turgeon received a 4-year extension from his current deal, which will run him through the 2022-2023 basketball season. The Washington Post reports that this extension will bump his salary to over $2.5 million annually, which fans can’t really complain about.

Maryland Director of Athletics Kevin Anderson said in the statement:

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"“Mark has built a program that we are incredibly proud of as he continues to lead the great tradition that is Maryland Basketball. I am proud of the academic and athletic success that the men’s basketball team has achieved under Mark’s leadership the past five years.He is committed to developing our student-athletes into well-rounded graduates and leaders of their communities. During his successful tenure in College Park, Mark has worked tirelessly to establish a nationally-recognized program that will annually compete for championships. Mark’s character and integrity resonates strongly with our former players, alumni and fans, and we are very excited about the future of Maryland Basketball.”"

Coach Turgeon took over for Gary Williams in 2011, and filled some pretty high expectations. He has led Maryland to a 114–59 (.659) record, including back to back NCAA tournament appearances.

Just like head football coach D.J. Durkin and his staff, from day one there has been a heavy emphasis put on recruiting, with top recruits now looking closely at Maryland. Turgeon also brought in some key transfer players in Robert Carter, Jr, Rasheed Sulaimon, and most recently, L.G. Gill.

Turgeon has really motivated a stale fan base and made Maryland Basketball a national power again. Turgeon said in a statement, “My family and I love the University of Maryland, the basketball program, the campus community and the local community and I am extremely grateful to be the coach of this outstanding program”. He then went on to thank Wallace Loh and Kevin Anderson for their support of the program and it’s direction.