DU Names New Women’s Basketball Coach

“You have to show up every day, and you have to work.”

That was the message from Jim Turgeon to his players as he was introduced on Tuesday as the 10th women’s basketball head coach at the University of Denver. Turgeon comes to DU from Colorado State University-Pueblo, where he spent the last two seasons compiling a 54-10 record, the highest by any coach in school history.

In addition to working hard on the court, Turgeon expects his players to be active in the community and continue the tradition of excelling in the classroom. DU student-athletes graduate at a 95 percent rate against the overall Division I student-athlete rate of 84 percent.

“I truly share the same vision the University has for our team being part of the community and the whole culture that is here at the University of Denver,” Turgeon said.

The process of finding a head coach took more than two weeks and included a nationwide pool of candidates. Peg Bradley-Doppes, vice chancellor for athletics and recreation, ultimately believed the best candidate was already living in Colorado.

“What we were striving to find was someone with a strong sense of community and someone who would be a strong cultural fit for the University of Denver,” she said. “Jim’s win-loss record is spectacular, and he has always done it with great integrity and class. He has overachieved everywhere he has been. He is a passionate teacher of the game of basketball who embraces everything that the University of Denver stands for.”

Prior to his time at CSU-Pueblo, Turgeon was head coach at Iowa Western Community College. In eight seasons, he tallied a record of 191-65 and in his last five seasons his team’s record was 80-8. Before coaching at Iowa Western, Turgeon was head coach at Dodge City Community College in Kansas.

“I think I’ve been successful coaching women because I’ve had great women in my life,” Turgeon said. “I’ve had my grandmothers, my mom, aunts, Tracey [wife], Taylor [daughter] and Tara [assistant coach]. They are great women that really have molded me into the man that I am.”

Turgeon graduated from Washburn University in Kansas, where he studied physical education with an emphasis in sports facilities management. His younger brother, Mark, is men’s basketball coach at the University of Maryland.