He stayed with the Hoosiers as a team captain during the 1981–82 season before the Boston Celtics honored Turner by selecting him as the final pick of the 1982 NBA draft.

[1][8][9] Turner received 300 letters of college offers,[9] but narrowed his choices down to the Indiana Hoosiers and the Purdue Boilermakers in his home state so his parents could attend his games.

[5][11] At the conclusion of his sophomore season, Knight was so annoyed by Turner's casual attitude that he told him to quit the team and play professionally.

[12] Turner persisted with the Hoosiers but his grades dropped as he attended parties instead of studying, which led to his benching by Knight during his junior season.

[5] Knight believed that Turner "couldn't think past tomorrow" and grew increasingly frustrated by his lack of willingness to apply himself completely in practices.

[11] After Turner restored his grades and Knight saw improvement in his playing, he was returned to the starting line-up with a few games left in the Big Ten Conference, where he helped the team remain undefeated for the rest of the season.

[5][11] During the 1981 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament, Turner formed a formidable trio with guard Isiah Thomas and center Ray Tolbert who were considered to be the Hoosiers' best players.

[12] Knight believed Turner could have been the best player in the country during his senior season while Boston Celtics general manager Red Auerbach had expected him to be a top-five selection in the 1982 NBA draft.

[14] With the injury low in his back, Turner eventually had the full use of his arms and hands return but his legs were permanently paralyzed.

[11] His medical costs in hospital were covered by his father's healthcare insurance policy through his employer, Ford Motor Company.

[17] Turner's incident earned national attention and he received an outpouring of mail during his hospital stay; Richard Pryor, B. J. Thomas, Dick Enberg and Darryl Stingley were among those who wrote to him.

"[19] Knight considered the gesture "a beautiful thing" by the Celtics and subsequently called Auerbach "one of the class people in sports.

[16] Turner began playing wheelchair basketball for the Circle City Knight Riders, who were affiliated with the Indiana Pacers, in 1987.