Apr 10, 2007, 21:00 GMT
College Station, TX - Texas A&M has named Mark Turgeon its new men's basketball coach.
The Aggies were in need of a replacement for Billy Gillispie, who left last week to take the vacancy at Kentucky.
'I'm thrilled to have Mark and his wonderful family join us in Aggieland,' director of athletics Bill Byrne said. 'He's one of America's brightest young coaches, with a great heritage of basketball history. I know the Aggie Family will come to appreciate Mark the same way I do. He is a winner on and off the court.'
The 42-year-old Turgeon spent the past seven seasons at Wichita State, guiding the program to a record of 128-89. The Shockers, after lofty expectations following a run to the Sweet 16 of the 2006 NCAA Tournament, were just 17-14 this past season. They were ranked as high as eighth in the nation in December, but failed to earn a postseason bid thanks to a five-game losing streak to end the season.
Wichita State improved its win total each year under Turgeon until this past season, and had four postseason appearances during the coach's tenure. The Shockers reached the NIT in three successive seasons before the 2006 NCAA Tournament run, which ended with a regional semifinal loss to eventual Final Four participant George Mason.
Turgeon also spent two seasons as head coach at Jacksonville State, posting a record of 25-29, before taking over at Wichita State. He played four seasons at Kansas and began his coaching career as an assistant for the Jayhawks' 1988 national championship squad.
Texas A&M began a resurgence under Gillispie, who led the Aggies to a 70-26 record in three seasons. This past season, A&M reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1980 and finished with a record of 27-7.
The Aggies were set to reward Gillispie with a new contract, a package worth $1.75 million through 2015, but he apparently never signed the deal and took a more lucrative offer from Kentucky.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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