Maryland Basketball: Mark Turgeon Deserves Passing Grade for His First Season

The obstacles were endless for head coach Mark Turgeon and his Maryland Terrapins.

In spite of the plethora of obstacles standing in his way, Turgeon would make the most of this season, leading his team to a solid 17-15 record behind the star-studded play of guard Terrell Stoglin.

Stoglin led the ACC in points per game with 21.6 a contest, a mark that would rank No. 8 in the nation. His scoring helped to elevate his team's play offensively, on both the conference and national level. The Terps faced an ACC that featured a handful of ranked teams, while the conference boasted two top-10 powerhouses in North Carolina and Duke—clearly, it was quite the uphill battle for the Terrapins.

When it came to his team, Turgeon had to cope with losing his go-to point guard in Pe'Shon Howard to injury, twice. Howard missed a total of 18 games, including both the first nine and last nine games of the season.

Not to mention, the Terps were without seven-foot freshman Alex Len for their first 10 games due to suspension. Len would post six points and 5.4 rebounds upon returning to the rotation.

Losing Howard made life difficult for Turgeon, who would have to guide an offense that needed to work without its floor general. It made life difficult for the team as well, especially on the road while in conference play, when Maryland needed his strong offense.

Yet with six conference victories and a plus-.500 record in the regular season, it was clear that Turgeon overachieved, given the countless issues he had to face throughout the season.

Bringing back Stoglin, scoring talent Nick Faust, and losing just one senior in Sean Mosley, there is much promise for the Terrapins team.

Boasting a solid inside game, a top-notch scorer (much like Greivis Vazquez and Juan Dixon were for this team), and a renewed commitment to defense, there is no telling just how tough they can be next season.