College basketball’s coaching carousel has its first big opening, as Maryland and head coach Mark Turgeon mutually agreed to part ways Friday after a disappointing start to the 2021–22 season. Turgeon, who was in his 11th season at the helm, was “not fired” and “this was far more his decision to part ways,” according to Stadium’s Jeff Goodman.
The Job
Maryland is a premier job in the sport. There’s a tradition of winning in College Park. The program is well funded, has a dedicated fan base, but most importantly, the Terps are in the backyard of the most fertile recruiting ground in the country. High-quality players are willing to stay home and play at Maryland. That means Maryland should be able to consistently not just make the NCAA tournament but make noise in March as well. Turgeon reached the Sweet 16 just once in his 10+ years in charge, and that wasn’t enough at a place that some in the industry consider a top-20 job in the sport.
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The Candidates
Kevin Willard, Seton Hall: It took Willard (pictured above) a while to get going at Seton Hall, but he has built a consistent winner and proven to be one of the best player- development coaches in the sport. He built a top-15 team in 2019–20 before the season was cut short due to the pandemic, and his team has gotten off to a strong start in 2021–22. That said, with the caveat that Seton Hall is a much tougher place to win than Maryland, Willard has never gotten out of the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. Would that lower ceiling turn off Terrapin decision-makers?
Andy Enfield, USC: I’m skeptical that bigger names at football-first schools like Nate Oats, Chris Holtmann and Eric Musselman could be convinced to take this job. Enfield would be an easier pull. He has ties to the region after playing at Johns Hopkins and getting his MBA at UMD, and he’s delivered more success at USC than most have at similarly tricky jobs. He’s coming off the best season of his career, a top-10 KenPom finish and an Elite Eight run. Plus, he has the Trojans playing well so far this season despite losing top-three NBA draft pick Evan Mobley.
Kim English, George Mason: If you’re looking for the up-and-comer for this job, it’s English. He’s 33 years old, less than 10 years removed from being drafted into the NBA and now having early success at George Mason. He even beat Maryland in College Park earlier this year. He’s a Baltimore native and is making a big splash early on the recruiting trail, landing local product and top-100 recruit Justyn Fernandez earlier this year. The downside? He has coached eight college games and won four of them. He’s still a somewhat unknown quantity, and Maryland should be able to get a more proven name.
Danny Manning, Maryland interim HC: I find it very unlikely Manning gets the job full time, but the timing of the move gives him a far longer audition period than a coach would usually have. His head-coaching track record is mixed, mostly because of an ugly ending at Wake Forest. But this current Maryland team doesn’t lack talent. If the Terps catch fire late and make a run in the NCAA tournament, Manning will have to be given a look even if his résumé is otherwise underwhelming for a job of this caliber.
Wes Miller, Cincinnati: Miller was long thought to be in line at North Carolina, but when that job went to Hubert Davis, Miller pivoted and took the Cincinnati job. He’s done well early on after inheriting a difficult situation from John Brannen, and Maryland could double his salary (or more) rather easily. Miller is a Carolina guy through and through, but the Maryland job fits him more than the Cincy one, especially with the Bearcats set to move to the Big 12.
Mike Brey, Notre Dame and Mike Jones, Virginia Tech assistant: Why are these two names grouped together? Because of their ties to famed Maryland prep program DeMatha Catholic. Brey, the longtime Notre Dame head coach, is a DeMatha alum and former assistant there, while Jones is in his first year as a college coach after being the long-time head coach at DeMatha. I have my doubts either of these coaches wind up getting the job—Brey because he’s getting older and has struggled lately at ND; Jones because of his lack of college experience. Jones could be an interesting choice as a top assistant for whoever gets the job, though.
Rick Pitino, Iona: Yeah, we’re at the point where Pitino’s name is going to get mentioned for most big jobs. There’s certainly tons of baggage, but Pitino is one of the top-10 coaches in the sport, and that might even be an undersell. His buyout at Iona is rumored to be massive, but Maryland has boosters wealthy enough to make that work. And between his early success with the Gaels and the potential for more clarity on his status with the NCAA to come soon, hiring the 69-year-old might be more palatable than it has been in previous coaching cycles.
The Bottom Line
There will be plenty of interest in this job from proven, current high-major coaches. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance this winds up being the best job of this coaching cycle, though there’s certainly a long way to go. Terrapins AD Damon Evans should swing for the fences, even if the chances are slim of pulling a name like Oats from another deep-pocketed program like Alabama. There may be a groundswell of support for Terrapins legend Juan Dixon (currently the head coach of Coppin State in Baltimore), though I highly doubt he’d be the final choice. But there is a strong list of qualified candidates who’d take this job, and this is a place where you can win and win quickly.
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• Elite Basketball Recruits’ Interest in HBCU Still Real, Less Loud
