Maryland Parts Ways With Men's Basketball Coach Mark Turgeon

The news comes with the Terrapins off to a 5–3 start to the season.

Just months after signing a contract extension with the program, Maryland men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon is out. The school announced that a "mutual decision" had been reached to part ways with the 11th-year Terrapins coach.

"After a series of conversations with Coach Turgeon, we agreed that a coaching change was the best move for Coach Turgeon and for the Maryland Men's Basketball program," athletic director Damon Evans said in a statement.

Turgeon finishes with a 226–116 record with the Terrapins. He was 105–79 in Big Ten play, after the program's move from the ACC ahead of the 2014–15 season. He had five NCAA Tournament appearances in his first seven Big Ten seasons. The Terps were set to have perhaps their best seed under Turgeon in 2020, before the cancellation of that year's NCAA Tournament due to COVID-19. The team finished atop the Big Ten in the regular season that year.

"After several in-depth conversations with Damon, I have decided that the best thing for Maryland Basketball, myself and my family is to step down, effective immediately, as the head coach of Maryland Basketball," Turgeon said in the school's press release. "I have always preached that Maryland Basketball is bigger than any one individual. My departure will enable a new voice to guide the team moving forward.

"Maryland Basketball has been my passion and focus for the last 10 seasons, and I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished. It is through the combined effort and commitment from our coaches and players, both past and present, that we have sustained consistent success in a sport that is ultra-competitive. I am extremely grateful to have worked with each and every one of you."

Danny Manning, a Kansas basketball legend and the former head coach at Wake Forest and Tulsa, will take on interim coaching duties with Turgeon out.

In April, Turgeon signed a three-year deal through the 2025–26 season, worth about $17 million over five years, per The Baltimore Sun. The deal also includes "supplemental income" for apparel contracts and various TV, radio and other promotional appearances that was set to bring his deal up over $3 million per year. The deal also included performance incentives worth up to $545,000 per year.

Stadium's Jeff Goodman says that Turgeon was not effectively fired, as some have speculated, and that the move is "far more his decision" to make the move now.

Turgeon was not fired. This was far more his decision to part ways now, source told @Stadium. https://t.co/CJIoodVmwg

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) December 3, 2021

Maryland is coming off of a disappointing 17–14 (9–11) season. The team did reach the NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed, beating No. 7 UConn in the first round before falling to No. 5 Alabama in the Round of 32.

Maryland opened the 2021–22 season at 3–0 before an upset loss to George Mason, 71–66. After tight wins over mid-major opponents Hofstra and Richmond by two and six points, respectively, Turgeon's team fell in back-to-back games with ACC opponents, Louisville last Saturday and Virginia Tech on Wednesday night.

Manning will lead Maryland in the Big Ten opener at home against Northwestern at noon ET on Sunday.