Jim Turgeon completed his third season as the Pioneers Head Coach in 2019-20 after being named the 10th head coach of the women’s basketball program at the University of Denver on March 28, 2017.
Turgeon has directed the Pioneer’s tremendous turnaround since his arrival.
In Turgeon’s third year as head coach, the Pioneers finished the season 15-15 overall and 9-7 in league play, the program’s third straight season .500 or better overall. DU went on to earn the third seed in the Summit League Championships.
The Pioneers once again had a top offense in the country under Turgeon, finishing in the top-20 in four statistical categories. They finished 18th in scoring offense (77.6), 19th in free throw percentage (77.1), third in free throws made (504), and 14th in free throw attempts (654).
DU posted top numbers in the Summit League to finish second in scoring offense (77.6), first in free throw percentage (77.1), third in 3s made per game average (7.2), third in 3-point percentage (33.7), second in steals per game (9.3), second in free throw attempts (654), first in free throws made (504), and first in rebounds (1,264) and rebounds per game (42.1).
It was another record setting year in 2019-20 for Denver as it set a new school record with a free throw percentage of 77.1, while posting the fourth highest scoring average in program history at 77.6. The Pioneers’ offense was one of the hottest in school history, scoring the second most points at 2,328.
Individually, Madison Nelson continued where she left off in 2018-19 with a record setting senior year to earn First Team All-Summit League honors. Nelson set new program records for single season points (592), rebounds (343), and scoring average (19.7). She became the first player in Denver’s Division I era to average a season long double-double with averages of 19.7 points and 11.4 rebounds.
Turgeon also helped continue the growth of Lauren Loven in her senior season as she finished her career second in the Summit League record book for career 3s made (341) and 3s attempted (832). Loven earned Second Team All-Summit League and ended her career eighth on Denver’s all-time scoring list with 1,453 career points.
In year two with Turgeon at the helm, Denver took another step forward as it posted an 18-14 record in 2018-19, the most wins the program has earned as a member of the Summit League. The Crimson and Gold finished league play with a 10-6 record, the most league wins since joining in the fall of 2013.
For the second time in school history, DU earned a berth in the WNIT, while garnering the first-ever postseason win in program history with an 83-75 victory over New Mexico in the opening round.
Turgeon guided the Denver offense as it produced at a historic level throughout the season, leading to the best offensive numbers in the program’s Division I era. The Pioneers 80.3 scoring average marked a new school record, while also ranking 11th in the entire nation last season. Turgeon’s squad was prolific from behind the arc, ranking third in the country in 3-point percentage (38.6), 3s made per game (9.3) and 17th in total 3s made (297). The 297 3s made set a new program record.
For a second straight season, DU exceeded expectations by recording its highest regular-season finish ever in the Summit League and taking the No. 3 seed going into the Summit League Championship in Sioux Falls. Denver was originally picked fifth in the Summit League Preseason Poll.
The Pioneers continued its upward trend in the RPI, jumping 14 spots from the previous season to finish at 167.
Turgeon continued the development of Samantha Romanowski, Madison Nelson, and Lauren Loven, who all earned Summit League all-league selections. Nelson, a second-team selection, averaged 16.3 points per game to finish third in the league and recorded an 8.9 rebounding average to finish first in the Summit League. Loven, an honorable-mention selection, knocked down 111 3s to finish seventh in the entire NCAA while leading the Summit League in 3-point shooting percentage at 44.4, also good for eighth in all of Division I. Romanowski earned honorable mention after taking on point-guard duties and finishing 11th in the country in assists per game with a 6.0 average.
On the offensive end, Denver continued its improvement, finishing ranked in the top 50 in the NCAA in assists per game (38th), overall free throws made (41st), and free-throw percentage (43rd). The team also finished just outside the top 50 in overall assists (51st) and overall field-goal percentage (58th).
DU saw improvement on the defensive side of the ball as well, finishing ranked 19th in all of Division I in blocked shots (161) and 62nd in rebounds per game (40.22).
In just his first season as head coach in 2017-18, the Crimson and Gold immediately saw results, improving by 10 wins with a 16-14 record, the first winning record for the program in six years. The 10-win improvement was the highest turnaround by a first-year staff in the country that season in all of women's basketball.
Denver earned its second highest seed in the Summit League Championship, fourth, since joining the league after posting a 7-7 mark in league play.
By the end of the season Denver catapulted 96 spots to finish at 181 in the RPI after being at 277 the previous year.
Turgeon successfully implemented a fast-pace offense in his debut season as the Pioneers rose up the rankings to become one of the better offenses in the country. Denver finished ranked 72nd in scoring offense (70.6), 40th in 3-point field-goals made (256), 27th in 3-pointers made per game (8.5) and 48th in 3-point field-goal percentage (35.9 percent).
DU garnered multiple postseason Summit League awards for its success on the court with Claire Gritt earning Freshman of the Year, All-Summit Newcomer Team and Summit League Honorable Mention along with Jordyn Alt.
Off the court, Turgeon immediately made his presence felt throughout the Summit League, signing the top-ranked recruiting class in the league according to ASGR.
Prior to taking over at Denver, Turgeon was the head coach at Colorado State University-Pueblo where he amassed a .843 (54-10) winning percentage, the highest by any coach in school history.
After setting a program record with 28 wins in 2016-17, including a record-breaking 24 consecutive wins to open the season, the Thunderwolves qualified for the NCAA tournament for the sixth straight season as Turgeon went on to be named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Coach of the Year.
Turgeon took the Thunderwolves to new heights as they won their first outright regular-season RMAC Championship since the 1987-88 season and first ever Division II regular-season title in 2016-17. Along with being named RMAC Coach of the Year, Turgeon was named a finalist for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association National Coach of the Year award.
Under Turgeon’s direction, CSU-Pueblo earned the highest seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2016-17, No. 1 seed. The previous season, the Thunderwolves were the No. 2 seed, a then new school record for the highest seed.
During his time at CSU-Pueblo, Turgeon molded multiple players to earn All-Conference accolades including a player of the year, tournament MVP, defensive player of the year, freshman of the year honoree, five first-team all-conference selection, one second-team all-conference selection, and one honorable mention conference athlete. Additionally, Turgeon's team claimed 13 RMAC Player of the Week honors, including six by one athlete alone in the 2016-17 season, more than any other team in the conference during the season.
Prior to his time at CSU-Pueblo, Turgeon spent eight seasons as the head coach at Iowa Western Community College where he claimed the title of all-time wins leader, collecting a record of 191-65. While at Iowa Western, Turgeon led the Reivers to three Region VI titles, one District K championship and one appearance in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament.
Turgeon guided his team into the top 25 in five out of the eight seasons at Iowa Western, breaking into the top five in three of those seasons.
Along with his successful record at Iowa Western, Turgeon led his team to the longest winning streak at 20 games and longest home winning streak at 34 games in program history. In his last five years at the helm of the program, Turgeon compiled a home record of 80-8 (.909).
Iowa Western broke a staggering 28 team and individual records with Turgeon at the wheel.
Before his time with Iowa Western, Turgeon was the head coach at Dodge City Community College in Dodge City, Kan.
Turgeon is a graduate of Washburn University in Topeka, Kans. with a degree in physical education and an emphasis in sports facilities management.
