KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Missouri – Kansas City men’s basketball program may have made its biggest head coaching splash in program history on Sunday.
The Roos hired former Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon on Sunday, the school announced. It is the first-ever former Power 5 head coach the school has hired.
Turgeon will replace current head coach Marvin Menzies after four seasons with the program. UMKC is allowing Menzies to finish out the season with the program.
“It is an honor to be returning home and to be trusted to build a winning tradition with Kansas City men’s basketball,” Turgeon said.
“It was obvious through our initial conversations that I could build a strong partnership with Dr. Martin and Chancellor Agrawal. I’ve always had a great love for Kansas City, and I believe that this city deserves a team that reflects its championship culture. There is so much untapped potential and with the full strength of the Kansas City community behind us, we will be able to elevate this program to new heights.”
Turgeon certainly has ties to the area, as he grew up in Topeka, Kansas and played four years at the University of Kansas.
“We are delighted to welcome Coach Turgeon and his wife Ann to the Roo family. It’s exciting to have them both back home in the Midwest,” UMKC Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Dr. Brandon Martin said.
“Coach Turgeon brings a wealth of credibility and success for our fan base, alumni, donors and key stakeholders throughout Kansas City. This will undoubtedly be an exciting and rewarding era for our Roo basketball program.”
Turgeon will have an assiduous task ahead of him as he tries to revive a program that hasn’t made an NCAA Tournament since it joined Division I in 1987. They’ve also struggled to gather talent in the KC area, as they only have one player on their roster this season from the Kansas City metro.
“I realize that there’s a lot of good players in the Kansas City area, in the state of Kansas, Missouri,” Turgeon said. “We’re going to try to keep the best players home that don’t want to go to Missouri or Kansas.”
He hasn’t been on the sidelines since 2021, but his credentials speak for themselves. Along with Maryland, he also coached at Jacksonville State, Wichita State and Texas A&M.
The Topeka native has a career record of 471-272 with MVC and Big 10 Coach of the Year awards on his resume. His teams also made the NCAA Tournament 10 times.
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