5 Potential Head Coach Candidates for the Maryland Terrapins

Maryland and Mark Turgeon have mutually agreed to part ways after 11 seasons. They are now in the market for a head coach. Here are five potential head coach candidates for the Maryland Terrapins.

1. Kim English

English is one of the newer head coaches on this list, as he has just coached eight games as the lead man. He has George Mason at 4-4, but one of those four wins came over Maryland in College Park. Before becoming a head coach, English was an assistant for Tennessee, Colorado and Tulsa. He played college basketball for Missouri and had a short stint in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons.

Not only did Maryland get to see him coach up close and personal, but English also is from the area. He is from Baltimore and could really do well recruiting in the area. While he is young, former coach Gary Williams mentioned that the new Maryland coach has to have energy to take the program to the national level. English is just 33 years old and could help bring some juice into the program.

2. Andy Enfield

Enfield is currently the coach at USC, where he is currently in his ninth season. He has posted a 163-110 record during his time with the Trojans and has made three NCAA Tournaments. Before USC, Enfield gained publicity as the coach of the “Dunk City” Florida Gulf Coast teams. He only coached there for two seasons, but took the no. 15-seeded Eagles to the Sweet 16 in 2013.

Enfield was born in Pennsylvania and played college basketball for John Hopkins in Baltimore. He may have hit his ceiling at USC and could be looking for a new challenge, especially where basketball is more of a focus. Maryland will draw some interest from some big conference coaches and Enfield is one that may actually make the jump.

3. Ryan Odom

Odom is the current coach at Utah State, where he has a 6-2 record. Prior to getting that job, Odom spent most of his time coaching on the east coast. He was an interim coach at Charlotte then got the Lenoir-Rhyne job at the DII level. His next job was at UMBC, which is what he is most known for. He had a 97-60 record for the Retrievers and led the first no. 16 seed over a no. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament history in 2018.

Because he has good experience in Maryland at UMBC, the Terrapins could try to lure Odom back to the state. He may not take the job after just moving across the country, but Maryland has a lot to offer. Odom’s recruiting ties could come in handy and his ability to coach well has already been demonstrated at smaller schools.

4. Ritchie McKay

McKay has had two stints as the head coach of Liberty. His most recent run with the Flames has been very successful. He has made two NCAA Tournaments in three seasons and even won a game in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Before his time with the Flames, McKay was a coach at New Mexico, Oregon State, Colorado State and Portland State. He has a career record of 344-254. In between his two times at Liberty, McKay was an assistant for Tony Bennett at Virginia.

McKay has plenty of experience if that is a direction that Maryland wants to go. His last three years at Liberty have been great and working with Bennett at Virginia was also beneficial. With those two jobs, he has worked in the region and been successful. The Terrapins may be going with a more youthful head coach when all is said and done though.

5. Dennis Gates

While he inherited a mess at Cleveland State, Gates has turned things around. He went 11-21 in his first season as head coach, but led the team to a 19-8 record in 2019-2020. That year was capped off with an NCAA Tournament appearance. Before coaching Cleveland State, Gates had stops at Marquette, Florida State, California, Northern Illinois and Nevada as an assistant.

Gates has done about a good of a job as possible at Cleveland State given the circumstances. A quick two-year turnaround proves that he can coach. Things are also looking solid for the Vikings this season. He has coached all over the country, which would help Maryland take the job to a national level. Gates hasn’t spent time in the Maryland-area, but he can coach and will likely be getting a job in a big conference soon.

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