After graduating from Hayden High School, Turgeon attended the University of Kansas, where he earned a bachelor's degree in personnel administration in 1987.

[3] Turgeon played basketball at Hayden High School, helping the team post a 47–3 record and capture two consecutive Class 4A state championships in 1982 and 1983.

[4] Although only 5 feet 10 inches out of high school,[5] Turgeon earned a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Kansas under coach Larry Brown.

[4] Fans called him "The Surgeon" because, in addition to the phrase rhyming with his surname, he had the ability to "carve up defenses."

[5] After Turgeon earned a degree from the University of Kansas in 1987, he immediately took a position as an assistant to his former coach, Larry Brown.

Turgeon remained on the Kansas staff when Roy Williams took over after Brown left for the San Antonio Spurs in 1989.

In his first year as head coach, the team accumulated an 8–18 record, finishing tied for 10th in the Trans America Conference.

The Shockers defeated 10th-seed Seton Hall by 20 points in their first-round game and upset 2nd-seed Tennessee to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 25 years.

Turgeon and the Shockers started the 2006–2007 season 9–0, winning on the road at George Mason,[9] LSU,[10] and Syracuse.

Team performance spiraled down once conference play had begun, losing three straight unranked teams—at Texas Tech, at Michael Beasley-led Kansas State, and at home to Baylor.

[15] After the blowout, the Aggies were able to revenge Baylor in Waco, though came back home to lose their final regular season game to eventual national champion Kansas to finish 8–8 in conference play.

[17][18] Turgeon's Aggies started the year unranked, with senior Josh Carter receiving preseason All-Big 12 honorable mention.

The Aggies then won their final six games to close out the season, including wins over rival Texas, Nebraska (on Carter's three-pointer at the buzzer), and then-#12 Missouri.

Finishing the regular season with a 23–8 record, the Aggies lost to Texas Tech in the first round of the Big 12 tournament.

They earned a #9 seed in the NCAA Tournament West Regional and, for the second straight year, a matchup with BYU.

After defeating BYU for the second straight year, 79–66, the Aggies came up short against #1 seed and eventual Final Four participant Connecticut.

[22] When asked about his decision at an Aggie Athletics press conference, he said "Maryland's got a great basketball tradition.

[26] Turgeon captured his first win as the University of Maryland head coach on November 13, 2011, after defeating UNC Wilmington 71–62.

On December 3, 2021, Turgeon and Maryland mutually agreed to part ways, ending his nearly 11-year tenure as head coach.