Terp Turgeon Both started at smaller schools, got a shot at Texas A&M, kept the Aggies near the top of the men's basketball world and both did well enough to make it to the big leagues.
It's hard to imagine this cycle from stopping. Texas A&M will dig into the smaller Division I schools again, find a gem, watch the program succeed for four years until another "basketball school" needs a new coach.
Fact is, A&M basketball's been good for six years now, since Gillispie first took them to the NIT in 2004-05 (the first post-season play for the Ags in 11 years) through four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances under Turgeon. He finished with a 97-40 overall record and had at least 24 wins in all four years. Yet, he never took the Aggies past the second round of the tourney.
Turgeon will learn what Gillispie learned: That Louisville is a lot different than El Paso or College Station. For Turgeon, Wichita and College Station will pale in comparision to College Park.
Which is why I generally find the attitude of coaches odd. Why can't a good college coach just stay a good college coach? Why is the appeal of the NBA or NFL too much? You never see college baseball managers jump. Why can't a good high-profile Division I coach stay at a Texas A&M -- a good, big-conference school -- instead of going to a "basketball school"?
I guess the appeal of the money, the recruiting and the history is simply too much. We should all know our roles.
