Blue Devils the first foe at Gary Williams Court Since Mark Turgeon took over as coach at Maryland, his iconic predecessor, Gary Williams, has maintained a low profile. Williams has not attended any Terrapins games and has steered clear of talk about Turgeon.
On Wednesday night, however, Williams will not be able to dodge the spotlight as Maryland dedicates the Comcast Center floor to the 22-year coach, who retired in May. The ceremony will take place at 8:45 — before Maryland (12-6, 2-2) tips off, appropriately enough, against longtime rival Duke (16-3, 4-1).
Recommended Stories
“We got a big game coming up or what?” Turgeon joked Tuesday as he entered a crowded press room with twice as many reporters and cameras as usual.
| Up next |
| Duke at Maryland |
| When » Wednesday, 9 p.m. |
| Where » Comcast Center |
| TV » ESPN |
“A rivalry is a rivalry. It’s more important to the people who are involved,” Turgeon said. “I’ve been in a lot of different rivalries. Now for me, this is the most important rivalry that there is because it means the most to our fans.”
On Monday night, Turgeon was among the 350 family, friends and fans who attended a private dinner reception on the Comcast Center floor in the honor of Williams. Invitees got a sneak peak at Williams’ name, written in black script near opposite corners of the floor.
In naming it “Gary Williams Court,” Maryland is following the lead of schools such as Arizona (Lute Olson), Detroit (Dick Vitale), Georgia Tech (Bobby Cremins) and Duke (Mike Krzyzewski).
The logos will be unveiled Wednesday night shortly after Williams enters. Turgeon said to expect a signature fist pump.
“I hope he doesn’t strain anything,” Turgeon joked. “I’m sure we’ll get a fist pump. He looks good. He looks tan and he looks relaxed.”
Succeeding an icon has hindered the career of many talented coaches. Former UCLA coach Gene Bartow, who died earlier this month, was best remembered for his failure to match the success of legendary John Wooden. Regularly attending games at Pauley Pavilion, Wooden lorded over the program after his retirement, ramping up the pressure on Bartow, who left after going 52-9 in two seasons.
By contrast, Williams has stayed away from Maryland despite retaining a position as a school diplomat and fundraiser. He also is working this season as an analyst for the Big Ten Network.
“I think my transition’s been smooth because of the way he’s handled it,” Turgeon said. “He’s made it easy for me. I don’t think there’s any question he’s on my side. You always worry about that when you take a job. He’s gone above and beyond to let people know who really matter to our program that I’m the right guy for this job, and that’s really helped.”
Wednesday night will be important for Turgeon in many ways as he attempts to get his first signature win. If he doesn’t, he can take solace in the fact that Williams lost his first 12 games against Duke before finally beating the Blue Devils 74-72 in Cole Field House in January 1995.
Turgeon was asked whether he felt additional pressure playing the team that Williams coached so many memorable games against.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “Can’t promise you anything tomorrow night. But we’re gonna win a lot of big games. My teams win.”
