By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Hayden star and Kansas Jayhawk Mark Turgeon has been named the head coach of Kansas City men's basketball heading into the 2026-27 season, UMKC Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Dr. Brandon Martin announced on Sunday in a release from the school.
Mark Turgeon (right), who has been named head basketball coach at UMKC for the 2026-2027 season, visited with Hayden athletic director Bobby Taul during a Hayden Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2022. [File photo/TSN]
Turgeon, a member of the Topeka Shawnee County, Hayden and Kansas Sports hall of fames, becomes UMKC's ninth head coach since the program elevated to NCAA Division I in 1987-88.
"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," Martin said in the UMKC release. "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 was a two-time Class 4A state champion at Hayden and helped lead Ben Meseke's Wildcats to a perfect 25-0 record as a senior in 1983.
Turgeon was a four-year letter-winner for the Kansas men's basketball program and the first Jayhawk to qualify for four NCAA Tournaments, including a Final Four run in 1986.
Turgeon also spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Kansas and seven years as the head coach at Wichita State.
"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 in the UMKC release. "It was obvious through our initial conversations that I could build a strong partnership with Dr. Martin and chancellor (Mauli) 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 brings 24 years of head coaching experience and a career winning percentage of .634 between stops at Maryland, Texas A&M, Wichita State and Jacksonville State.
"We are thrilled to welcome a new leader for Kansas City's Division I basketball program at such an exciting time for our university and city," Agrawal said in the UMKC release. "Coach Turgeon brings the vision, record and competitive drive that align perfectly with our commitment to excellence – on the court, in the classroom and in the community.
"His hiring is part of our broader investments in elevating the university and strengthening programs that bring pride and momentum to our campus. We believe this is the start of a new chapter will raise the profile of our program and make our university community proud."
Across his 24 seasons as a head coach, Turgeon has amassed a 476-275 overall record, which puts him in the top 30 in career wins among active NCAA Division I head coaches.
He has taken teams to the NCAA Tournament 10 times with a pair of Sweet 16 appearances and winning records in 21 of his 24 years on the sidelines.
Turgeon's most recent head coaching tenure was spent at the University of Maryland from 2011-21, finishing with a winning record in all 11 seasons. His 2015-16 squad finished 27-9, advancing to the Sweet 16, and in 2019-20, the Terrapins compiled a 24-7 record and won the Big Ten regular-season title.
From 2007-12 Turgeon manned the sidelines at Texas A&M, compiling a 97-40 overall record and finishing top four in the Big 12 in each of his final three seasons. His squads earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament all four years.
Turgeon took over a Wichita State program in 2000-01 season that had posted just two winning seasons in the previous 11 years and went .500-or-better in 6 of his 8 seasons at the helm, compiling three 20-win seasons.
In 2005-06 the Shockers won the Missouri Valley regular-season championship and qualified for program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in nearly 20 years. Wichita State went on to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1981.
