PRESS RELEASE
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (April 7, 2021) – University of Maryland Director of Athletics Damon Evans has announced an agreement with men’s basketball head coach Mark Turgeon that extends Coach Turgeon’s contract through the 2025-26 season. Turgeon’s new contract contains revised financial terms and will be effective May 1, 2021.
“We believe in Coach Turgeon and are excited about what the future holds for Maryland basketball,” said Evans. “Coach is fully committed to Maryland and we are in agreement of the expectations for our program as we move forward. Coach and the staff have already been at work recruiting and building on our recent success. We all need to do our part, pulling in the same direction, pursuing a championship-level program.”
“I want to thank Damon Evans and President Pines for their continued belief in me to lead the basketball program,” Turgeon said. “Maryland is a special place and my commitment to the program has never wavered. I am extremely proud of our recent accomplishments as Big Ten champions and as NCAA Tournament qualifiers six of the last seven years and we are hungry for more. We are building great momentum heading into the 2021-22 season and I am excited for our future.”
Turgeon has guided Maryland to a 221-113 (.662) record in 10 seasons as head coach, leading the Terrapins to five top-5 finishes in the Big Ten Conference in seven seasons and the 2020 Big Ten Championship.
The 2021-22 Maryland team has generated early preseason acclaim, being ranked in the top-15 nationally by multiple news outlets including ESPN, CBSSports, The Athletic, Stadium and NCAA March Madness.
Since joining the Big Ten in 2014-15, Maryland’s .689 win percentage is tied for third in the conference, while its 82 wins in conference play are the fourth-most in that span.
The Terrapins are part of a select group of teams nationally with at least four ranked victories over the last three seasons, joining Michigan State, Kansas, Michigan, Iowa and Purdue.
Maryland has also developed NBA talent under Turgeon, most recently including lottery pick and Baltimore native, Jalen Smith. The Terps’ are tied with Michigan State for the most NBA Draft selections (6) over the last five years in the Big Ten.
Off the court, Maryland has graduated all 35 student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility during Turgeon’s tenure. In 2020-21, Turgeon’s team featured a pair of student-athletes – Reese Mona and Darryl Morsell – who were actively pursuing master’s degrees after earning their undergraduate degrees in three seasons.
Turgeon was also a lead voice for social and racial justice reform in the summer of 2020 as he posted videos in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and provided a space for open conversations within his program. Turgeon’s team was the first athletic program at Maryland to become 100-percent registered to vote in the 2020 Presidential Election. He also pledged his support to the John McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative to jump-start the careers of minorities in collegiate athletics administration and is currently funding a position in the Maryland athletic department.
