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Kansas City hiring Mark Turgeon as next men's basketball coach
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- Kansas City hiring Mark Turgeon as next men's basketball coach
Kansas City men's basketball is hiring former Maryland coach Mark Turgeon for its coaching vacancy, the school announced Sunday, Feb. 1.
Turgeon, who last coached in 2021, is the first major coaching hire of the 2026 cycle. The former Wichita State and Texas A&M coach is a Kansas native and was a team captain at Kansas, appearing in four consecutive NCAA tournaments from 1984-87.
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The Roos announced earlier this season the 2025-26 campaign would be coach Marvin Menzie's last with the program. Kansas City is off to a 4-18 start this season.
Turgeon has been to 10 NCAA Tournaments at three schools, leading the Aggies to four consecutive appearances from 2008-11 before leaving for Maryland. He led the Terrapins to a Sweet 16 berth in 2015-16 but eventually agreed to part ways with the school midway through the 2021-22 season after a 5-3 start.
It's a surprising move for a well-known coach to return to the sport to lead a Summit League program without much historical success. Kansas City, formerly known as UMKC, has never made the NCAA Tournament in over 40 years as a Division I program.
Then-Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon reacts during a game against George Mason at Xfinity Center in 2021.
Turgeon, 60, has a 471-272 all-time record and will have his work cut out for him at the mid-major level.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mark Turgeon to be Kansas City's next men's basketball coach
