Turgeon is EXACTLY what this program needed for years!!!

[Tony-OH]

This is exactly why I've been saying for years that Gary must go and an energetic coach like Turgeon was exactly what this programs needed. Just in a few weeks Turgeon has taken steps to energize the local basketball community towards Maryland and repaired fences that Williams had no desire to deal with due to his own "moral code" despite the fact it's not illegal.

Today on 105.7, I heard Keith Cavanaugh from the Terrapin Times say, "Turgeon is out shaking hands, visiting people and making relationships while Gary sat in his office and wanted people to come to him." He then went on to say Williams used to be like (Turgeon).

This just goes to reaffirm what I believed all along. After Williams won his NC, he became the King and the King doesn't bow to anyone. You had to kiss Williams' ring and in today's day and age, there are too many other opportunities that players don't need to do that.

For all the people who thought that Maryland couldn't do better than Williams, I present you Turgeon! Yes, I know the Terps haven't won a game yet and yes I know they are going to be pretty poor next year (thanks to Williams' lack of recruiting), but in two or three years this program is going to back where it belongs. I love everything I'm hearing about Turgeon and his aggressive recruiting style and assistant coaching hires.

I'm completely stoked about the future of Maryland basketball again!! Hell, I might even go by some season tickets now..

From the Baltimore Sun:

In his first week as the Maryland men's basketball coach, Mark Turgeon reached out to local high school and AAU coaches, met with a noted Baltimore politician and landed his first recruit.

While the first seven days were busy enough, Turgeon started his second week with arguably his biggest move yet by hiring Kansas State assistant Dalonte Hill.

Hill – who will be joined by Bino Ranson and former Texas A&M assistant Scott Spinelli on Maryland’s staff – is a former D.C. Assault coach credited with recruiting Michael Beasley to Kansas State. That recruiting coup, in conjunction with Hill’s reported $400,000+ salary at KSU, drew the ire of former Maryland coach Gary Williams in an exhaustive 2009 interview with The Washington Post about his recruiting practices. The irony of Maryland hiring Hill less than two weeks after Williams retired wasn’t lost on some basketball followers.

“If there’s one thing we all know, it’s that there are completely different ways to get the job done,” said Dave Telep, ESPN.com’s national recruiting analyst. “I think it’s abundantly clear that Mark Turgeon is going to put a premium on relationships with the high school and AAU coaches in the area. Dalonte Hill is probably the biggest departure from Coach Williams that Mark Turgeon could have, and it’s a very significant hire for Maryland recruiting because he’ll be a catalyst for a bunch of relationships.”

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/recruiting/2011/05/analysts_weigh_in_on_terps_hiring_dalonte_hill.html

[Tony-OH]

I don't think it's necessary to trash Gary at this point. He's retired, he's gone, you don't have to deal with him anymore...

I think Turgeon is looking very good so far. I think recruiting will be particularly strong with the coaching staff that has been assembled and I am very excited for the future. Recruiting classes for 2012+ should be pretty amazing if these guys live up to their reputations.

Sounds like Breunig is probably gone from the 2011 class as well, mostly because the coaching staff isn't all that interested whether he stays or not. Guess they figure they can pull a lot better quality guys.

I'm not trashing Gary, but I want one of his supporters to come in here and say the program is not better off right now then it was a month ago under Williams? They constantly attacked those of us who wanted change and now that we have a guy who is doing EXACTLY what Williams should have been doing for all these years, I want to see if they still would rather have Williams running the show?

As I said before, Williams was a great X's and O's coach, and when he was energetic and had something to prove he was one of the best coaches around, but something changed after he won the NC and his supporters refused to ever admit he just wasn't getting the job done. Now, after looking at what Turgeon has done in just two weeks, it makes me wonder how many years did we flush down the toilet until Gary finally realized he really wasn't giving his best effort and it was hurting the program?

Call it what you want, but I can go back to the 100s of posts that slammed me for expecting from Williams exactly what Turgeon is doing right now. And, I want to hear from the guys who said Maryland couldn't do better than Williams. *cough* Sports Guy and others * cough*

[mweb]

The program may be better off, we'll see, but that doesn't change my opinion that it was totally wrong to think Gary should have been fired. That doesn't mean I would rather have Gary run the show as I am excited for the Turgeon era.

The Gary era ended exactly the way it should have.

BTW, lets not forget or discount that the recruiting was improving quite a bit.

[Icterus galbula]

I'm pretty excited, but I must admit I am also wary. I'm not exactly thrilled by the prospect of Michael Beasley types (one and done, character concerns) proliferating through the program. So long as we jump into this AAU-schmooze game with a sense of moderation, I'll be okay with it. I just don't want to emulate the Calipari method.

[Danielos38]

This is exactly why I've been saying for years that Gary must go and an energetic coach like Turgeon was exactly what this programs needed. Just in a few weeks Turgeon has taken steps to energize the local basketball community towards Maryland and repaired fences that Williams had no desire to deal with due to his own "moral code" despite the fact it's not illegal.

Today on 105.7, I heard Keith Cavanaugh from the Terrapin Times say, "Turgeon is out shaking hands, visiting people and making relationships while Gary sat in his office and wanted people to come to him." He then went on to say Williams used to be like (Turgeon).

This just goes to reaffirm what I believed all along. After Williams won his NC, he became the King and the King doesn't bow to anyone. You had to kiss Williams' ring and in today's day and age, there are too many other opportunities that players don't need to do that.

For all the people who thought that Maryland couldn't do better than Williams, I present you Turgeon! Yes, I know the Terps haven't won a game yet and yes I know they are going to be pretty poor next year (thanks to Williams' lack of recruiting), but in two or three years this program is going to back where it belongs. I love everything I'm hearing about Turgeon and his aggressive recruiting style and assistant coaching hires.

I'm completely stoked about the future of Maryland basketball again!! Hell, I might even go by some season tickets now..

From the Baltimore Sun:

In his first week as the Maryland men's basketball coach, Mark Turgeon reached out to local high school and AAU coaches, met with a noted Baltimore politician and landed his first recruit.

While the first seven days were busy enough, Turgeon started his second week with arguably his biggest move yet by hiring Kansas State assistant Dalonte Hill.

Hill – who will be joined by Bino Ranson and former Texas A&M assistant Scott Spinelli on Maryland’s staff – is a former D.C. Assault coach credited with recruiting Michael Beasley to Kansas State. That recruiting coup, in conjunction with Hill’s reported $400,000+ salary at KSU, drew the ire of former Maryland coach Gary Williams in an exhaustive 2009 interview with The Washington Post about his recruiting practices. The irony of Maryland hiring Hill less than two weeks after Williams retired wasn’t lost on some basketball followers.

“If there’s one thing we all know, it’s that there are completely different ways to get the job done,” said Dave Telep, ESPN.com’s national recruiting analyst. “I think it’s abundantly clear that Mark Turgeon is going to put a premium on relationships with the high school and AAU coaches in the area. Dalonte Hill is probably the biggest departure from Coach Williams that Mark Turgeon could have, and it’s a very significant hire for Maryland recruiting because he’ll be a catalyst for a bunch of relationships.”

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/recruiting/2011/05/analysts_weigh_in_on_terps_hiring_dalonte_hill.html

Half of your post is good, then the other half is the same old, tired Gary trashing. He's gone. It's over. Let it be.

[Dr. FLK]

I'm pretty excited, but I must admit I am also wary. I'm not exactly thrilled by the prospect of Michael Beasley types (one and done, character concerns) proliferating through the program. So long as we jump into this AAU-schmooze game with a sense of moderation, I'll be okay with it. I just don't want to emulate the Calipari method.

Well, Turg has said he'll recruit "character first". If he looks for highly talented AAU guys who are "character guys" also, then more power to him.

[Sports Guy]

Has Turgeon coached a game yet? I must have missed that one.

[Dr. FLK]

Has Turgeon coached a game yet? I must have missed that one.

Of course not. But, college bball is about a lot more than just in-game coaching. Very few questioned Gary's in-game coaching. But, the passion for developing the local recruiting process appears drastically improved going forward. But, IMO - it's still way to early to judge this a success. I love everything I hear/read so far. But, let's see the quality of talent that he's able to bring to the program.

[HokieOs]

I think some on the Maryland front are being a bit optimistic... this is an OK for Maryland... but he isn't some godsend either.

For one, he wasn't THAT great at Wichita State. He was solid. He made an NCAAT, but he wasn't exactly stellar. Then he got to Texas A&M and essentially kept the program treading water... but nothing more. They were slowly dying as a program and most Aggie fans are pretty glad they are rid of Turgeon (though they probably wish he left earlier so they could Gillespie back).

We'll see.... he has made the right moves when it comes to hiring assistants..... but his track record is pretty average IMO.

[ShaneDawg85]

I'm not trashing Gary, but I want one of his supporters to come in here and say the program is not better off right now then it was a month ago under Williams? They constantly attacked those of us who wanted change and now that we have a guy who is doing EXACTLY what Williams should have been doing for all these years, I want to see if they still would rather have Williams running the show?

As I said before, Williams was a great X's and O's coach, and when he was energetic and had something to prove he was one of the best coaches around, but something changed after he won the NC and his supporters refused to ever admit he just wasn't getting the job done. Now, after looking at what Turgeon has done in just two weeks, it makes me wonder how many years did we flush down the toilet until Gary finally realized he really wasn't giving his best effort and it was hurting the program?

Call it what you want, but I can go back to the 100s of posts that slammed me for expecting from Williams exactly what Turgeon is doing right now. And, I want to hear from the guys who said Maryland couldn't do better than Williams. *cough* Sports Guy and others * cough*

Until we actually see them on the floor, playing in a real game, and have several years of it, that assessment can't be made, regardless of whether you loved or didn't love Gary Williams.

[Dr. FLK]

I think some on the Maryland front are being a bit optimistic... this is an OK for Maryland... but he isn't some godsend either.

For one, he wasn't THAT great at Wichita State. He was solid. He made an NCAAT, but he wasn't exactly stellar. Then he got to Texas A&M and essentially kept the program treading water... but nothing more. They were slowly dying as a program and most Aggie fans are pretty glad they are rid of Turgeon (though they probably wish he left earlier so they could Gillespie back).

We'll see.... he has made the right moves when it comes to hiring assistants..... but his track record is pretty average IMO.

He went to a Sweet 16 at Wichita State, that's not too shabby. And if Texas A&M expect a better 4 year run than what they got, they are pretty delusional. He won 97 games in 4 years (more than Gary won in his last 4 years) in a conference that's arguably been stronger than the ACC over that period of time at a school that doesn't care about basketball.

[Sports Guy]

Of course not. But, college bball is about a lot more than just in-game coaching. Very few questioned Gary's in-game coaching. But, the passion for developing the local recruiting process appears drastically improved going forward. But, IMO - it's still way to early to judge this a success. I love everything I hear/read so far. But, let's see the quality of talent that he's able to bring to the program.

Thus my point.

[Birds of B'more]

We'll find out what sort of in-game, X's and O's coach Turgeon is early. Assuming Bruenig is gone and there are no last-minute additions, the Terps will have just 9 scholarship players this coming season. That is very thin for a team competing in the ACC. I can't say now what the reasonable expectations for the team should be this season, although the bottom-half of the ACC would appear to be a near certainty. If Turgeon can exceed those expectations by just a little bit, then I think that will say a lot about him as a coach. I think to have any success with this roster he will first have to modify the playing style he used successfully at A&M. A slow-it-down offense that emphasizes scoring from half-court sets will be a disaster for a team with a very little size and talent in the frontcourt...especially in a conference with much bigger and deeper frontcourts. He's going to have to employ a similar style that Gary did with lots of pressing, fast breaking and a motion-offense that takes advantage of the team's strength at the G positions. Of course that sort of play requires good depth too, which brings us back to only 9 scholarship players.

But as for emphasizing recruiting, especially in the Balt/DC area, I am very enthusiastic about the start of the Turgeon era....if for no other reason than these are simply the things that Gary, or anyone who coaches at UM, should have been doing all along.

[ccbird]

It's amazing to me how naive some people were to just how much Gary was handcuffing the program. You have to have talent first and foremost in college basketball. I appreciate what Gary did for the program, can't wait to see his name on the court but as I said numerous times I was patiently waiting for his era to end because I knew pretty much whoever stepped into his place was going to take advantage of the resources MD had at hand to improve the rosters. I tell you what, there is without a doubt a buzz and excitement around MD basketball again even though Turg hasn't coached his first game yet. That tells me how stale things had got for this program. Granted, Turg hasn't won a game yet and people can rightfully point to that until he starts winning here but the guy made 6 straight NCAA tournys with Witch ST and Texas A&M . A program who had no success in college basketball for 20 years before he got there and a football school. He did it with far inferior talent than what he will be able to bring in here at Maryland.

[Birds of B'more]

Today on 105.7, I heard Keith Cavanaugh from the Terrapin Times say, "Turgeon is out shaking hands, visiting people and making relationships while Gary sat in his office and wanted people to come to him." He then went on to say Williams used to be like (Turgeon).

This just goes to reaffirm what I believed all along. After Williams won his NC, he became the King and the King doesn't bow to anyone. You had to kiss Williams' ring and in today's day and age, there are too many other opportunities that players don't need to do that.

If you look at his personality, that should come as no surprise. Gary has always had a chip on his shoulder. That was a trait that served him very well as he was rebuilding the program or whenever someone underestimated him. It preoccupied and drove him harder than few people I've ever seen. And he wanted players with that same chip on their shoulder too so that he could relate to them. And let's be honest, it was a quality that endeared him to many of us as well, since when it comes to sports those of us who root for UM and/or Baltimore teams have it too. How much did Terp fans love it when Gary would take shots at the ACC about favoritism towards the Carolina schools? Whether it was real or perceived, it was what so many of us believed existed for decades...and the fact that our coach provided us the public platform to get it off our chests fired people up.

But you're right, the NC did change Gary. It didn't remove that chip on his shoulder, but it did change his perspective. He believed that being a coach of a national champion bestowed a certain status that can never be taken away. And to a degree he's absolutely correct. He will be forever revered for doing what no one else at UM had ever done, and what many thought was impossible. However, things have changed in the sport of basketball. A recruit who was in grade school the last time you were on top just isn't going to be impressed by that banner in the rafters. They want to hear how they will win their own banner, how you will utilize their talents, and most of all how you will prepare them for the next level. And they want to hear it straight from the head coach, face-to-face. And most of the best players don't want to hear how they can be the scrappy underdog who overcomes the odds by following the coach who did the same. They want to hear that they are going to be the ranked team that will go out there every game and kick butt because that is what they are supposed to do. And for better or worse, that will never be who Gary Williams is.