Ever since his hiring in 2011, Mark Turgeon’s Terps have been consistently above-average compared to other Power-5 programs. However, in his 9 seasons at Maryland, he has only led the Terrapins to the NCAA Tournament 5 times. Maryland has also only been to the Sweet 16 once under Turgeon, even with very strong rosters almost every season.
As long as Turgeon remains at the helm for Maryland Basketball, the Terps will never have success when it matters.
Turgeon has been able to retain his job for so long due to his ability to recruit big name high school prospects. Players such as Melo Trimble, Anthony Cowan Jr., Kevin Huerter and Alex Len have all come through College Park during Turgeon’s tenure.
The problem is, most of these players never got exponentially better while apart of Maryland. Trimble for example, peaked in terms of talent in his freshman year, and never really showed his true potential as a basketball player until he went pro.
Even when he has had the talent, Turgeon has not been able to capitalize either. Whether it is losing to Nebraska in the first round of the Big 10 tournament last season or losing to 8-23 Minnesota towards the end of the 2015-16 season, Maryland has faltered time and time again as March approaches.
The team begins to play lethargic, and the players look worn down from the wear and tear of the season. Turgeon’s tendency to play his stars full minutes in non-conference play ends up costing the Terps later on, and Turgeon seems to have never learned from it.
When the games matter most and the wins mean more, Turgeon and Co. fail to get the job done.
If Maryland fails to make a run in The Big Dance this season, Turgeon’s time as a Terp should come to an end.
