College basketball loves a comeback story — as long as you're winning. When you're not, it becomes something quieter: a man rebuilding his life one job at a time.
Iona fired Anderson exactly 2 years to the day after his 16-over-1 miracle against Purdue
Turgeon: From Maryland to UMKC
Mark Turgeon walked away from Maryland on December 3, 2021. After 10 seasons, five NCAA Tournaments, and a 479-275 career record, the weight of a fan base that booed him and a culture that exhausted him became too much. He left. He stayed out of coaching for over four years.
On February 1, 2026, he resurfaced at UMKC — the Kansas City Roos, a Summit League program that has never made the NCAA Tournament in its Division I history. Marvin Menzies had been told in January he would not be retained after going 44-79 in four seasons, with only one Division I win in his final year.
Turgeon, 56, took the job on a five-year deal. "It is an honor to be returning home," he said. He grew up in Kansas. He coached 11 future NBA draft picks. He is now trying to win his first game at a program that went 4-27.
The cynical read: this is a coach whose ego needs the sideline more than the sideline needs him. The generous read: this is a Kansas Sports Hall of Famer who found peace, rediscovered his love for the game, and chose a place with no expectations except improvement.
Anderson: The Man Who Beat Purdue and Can't Find a Home
Tobin Anderson coached the second 16-over-1 upset in NCAA Tournament history when FDU beat Purdue 63-58 on March 17, 2023. It was, by any measure, one of the five greatest moments in college basketball history.
He leveraged that moment into the Iona job — Rick Pitino's old chair. He went 33-33 in two seasons. Iona fired him on March 17, 2025 — exactly two years to the day after the Purdue miracle.
Anderson joined South Florida as an associate head coach under Bryan Hodgson and helped USF win the AAC title. Then Hodgson left for Providence. Anderson was available again.
Tennessee Tech hired him on March 13, 2026, on a five-year deal. John Pelphrey had gone 79-138 in seven seasons without a single winning year. Anderson inherits a program in the Ohio Valley Conference that has nowhere to go but up.
"This is a program with a proud tradition and passionate supporters," Anderson said.
The miracle coach keeps moving. The miracle itself — that one impossible night in Columbus — remains the high-water mark. Everything since has been about proving it wasn't a fluke. Tennessee Tech is the latest lab.