15 Semifinalists For NCAA National Coach Of The Year
Maryland Terrapins Men's head coach Mark Turgeon has made the short list of 15 semifinalists for the James Naismith National Coach of the Year Award.
In their first season in the Big Ten Conference, the Terps have 25 wins this season which is already eight games better than the 2013-2014 season. This improvement is tied for second-most among Power Five schools.
Turgeon is currently in his 4th season as the Terps head coach and first season in the Big Ten, the previous three seasons in the Atlantic Coast Conference. His team is currently ranked No. 10 in the AP Top 25 poll. This is the first time the Terps have been ranked in the Top 10 since February of 2003, 12 seasons ago. The Terps have been a part of the Top 25 now for 14 consecutive weeks, which is the longest such streak since the 2002-2003 season.
Coach Turgeon has been able to put together a winning team even following the exodus of several players such as Nick Faust, Roddy Peters, Shaq Cleare and Seth Allen transferring to other schools and Alex Len entering the NBA Draft. He's taken his remaining players (Dez Wells, Jake Layman, Evan Smotrycz, Damonte Dodd, Jonathan Graham) and added players like Melo Trimble, Jerrod Nickens, Richaud Pack and Dion Wiley
Maryland, in its inaugural season in the Big Ten, has finished with a flawless 9-0 record at home against conference opponents, including victories against (then-No. 5) Wisconsin, Michigan State and Indiana. Their only home loss all season came to their former ACC rival the No. 2 ranked Virginia Cavaliers giving them a 18-1 record at XFINITY Center in College Park.
On March 19th, two weeks from today, the list of 15 semifinalist coaches will be narrowed to to four finalists and the winner will be announced on April 5, 2015.
Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Semifinalists
Tony Bennett, Virginia (ACC 28-1)
Mike Brey, Notre Dame (ACC 25-5)
John Calipari, Kentucky (SEC 30-0)
Scott Drew, Baylor (Big 12 28-2)
Mark Few, Gonzaga (WCC 29-2)
Chris Holtmann, Butler (Big East 21-9)
Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley Conference 27-3)
Larry Krystkowiak, Utah (Pac 12 22-6)
Archie Miller, Dayton (Atlantic 10 23-6)
Steve Prohm, Murray State (Ohio Valley Conference 26-4)
Bo Ryan, Wisconsin (Big 10 26-3)
Bill Self, Kansas (Big 12 24-6)
Wayne Tinkle, Oregon State (Pac-12 17-13)
Mark Turgeon, Maryland (Big Ten 25-5)
Jay Wright, Villanova (Big East 28-2)
