Apr 30, 2020
Sometimes, dreams change. For Mark Turgeon, the goal of making it to the NBA wasn’t going to become a reality. So, how did his coach at Kansas, Hall of Famer Larry Brown, help him develop a new dream? Turgeon was a solid player at KU, a team captain, and he became the first Jayhawk to play in four straight NCAA Tournaments. But his future in basketball wasn’t going to be playing at the next level. He would take his coach’s advice, joining the Kansas staff immediately after graduating. And he would stay on as an assistant to Roy Williams. Along the way, he’d spend time learning from guys like Bill Self, John Calipari and Gregg Popovich. Turgeon would eventually land a few assistant and head coaching jobs before settling in at Maryland, where’s he’s found success. So how did a kid from Topeka re-route his dream to end up becoming one of the nation’s top coaches? And how did Kansas play a starring role in shaping Mark Turgeon’s life and career?