Official Site of the Shockers · Nov 13, 2024
RH: Shocker Basketball Started Its Upward Trajectory In 2000
RH: Turgeon NCAA Listen to a podcast with Mike Kennedy and Bob Lutz on the Turgeon era at Wichita State
Wichita State men's basketball opened a new decade in a serious slump in 2000. New athletic director Jim Schaus needed a coach who could revive the school's most prominent program and boost the entire department.
On March 11, 2000, he hired 35-year-old Mark Turgeon. In the previous 11 seasons, the Shockers enjoyed two winning seasons and did not play in either the NIT or NCAA tournaments. In 10 of those seasons, the Shockers finished with a losing record in the Missouri Valley Conference.