The hirings of Will Turgeon and Brandon Burgette as assistant basketball coaches at Kansas City have now been made official. Both moves had been expected for some time, with Turgeon first mentioned on February 1 and Burgette’s name surfacing on HD on March 5.
Here is the official release from KC:
The first hire of Head Coach Mark Turgeon’s staff has officially been made, and it crosses Turgeon’s coaching tree with his family tree. Will Turgeon will join the staff as an assistant coach heading into the 2026-27 season, as was announced today.
“I’m super excited to add Will to my staff,” the elder Turgeon said. “To be around him every day and to have a front row seat to watch him grow as a coach and person. He was born to be a coach, truly knows the game and sees it at an elite level. His ability to connect to the players is something I’ve always admired. He has a great eye for talent and will be a great recruiter for our program.”
In his role, Will is tasked with a myriad of responsibilities. He will assist in recruiting, player development, scouting, academics, compliance, fundraising and other everyday operations.
“I’ve been a fan of this city for as long as I can remember,” he said. “I’ve watched it celebrate championships at the highest level and I know firsthand what kind of pride and energy exists here. With the amount of local talent in this area, I believe there is no reason we can’t build something special and win here.”
Will’s most recent coaching experience came at Eastern Washington, where he was an assistant coach during the 2024-25 season. Prior to that, he spent a pair of seasons on the sideline with Colorado as a graduate assistant.
During his time with Head Coach Tad Boyle (a former Mark Turgeon assistant at both Jacksonville State and Wichita State), the Buffaloes won 44 total games, including a 26-11 record in the 2023-24 season. In addition to winning the most games in program history, the team won a pair of NCAA Tournament games and advanced to the Round of 32 for just the second time in 11 seasons.
Will also played a role in player development at Colorado, assisting in the development of future NBA Draft picks Cody Williams, Tristan da Silva and KJ Simpson.
Turgeon completed his undergraduate career at The Catholic University of America, playing on the basketball team for two seasons and starting in 21-of-26 appearances. He graduated from Gonzaga College High School in 2018, leading the team to a 2017 WCAC, DC State, and Alhambra Tournament titles.
Will earned his degree in Business Management and Strategic Operations from The Catholic University of America in 2022 and completed his master’s in Organizational Leadership at Colorado in 2024.
Head Coach Mark Turgeon continues to build his staff, tapping into the Kansas City connection that he has preached about since taking the job in February for his second assisting coaching hire. A metro native and veteran of the Kansas City coaching scene, Brandon Burgette will man the Roos’ sidelines heading into the 2026-27 season.
“It was really important for me to hire a Kansas City guy that was well-connected and well-respected in the basketball community,” Turgeon said. “Everyone I talked to about Brandon had nothing but great things to say about him, not only as a basketball coach, but as a person. Brandon is a grinder, and that’s what we need to be successful here. He loves to recruit and with his connections he should have great success recruiting for us. He will also be a great model and mentor for our players.”
In his role with the Roos, Burgette will play a large part in recruiting while assisting with in-game coaching and player development duties.
“My family and I are extremely grateful to Coach Turgeon and Dr. Martin for the opportunity,” Burgette said. “Coach Turgeon is a proven leader and winner. Kansas City is home for me, it’s a blessing and an honor to represent the city, the university, the sports community and to build a winning culture under a prestigious coach. With his pedigree and knowledge, I am eager to learn and contribute to a winning program and I look forward to developing a new atmosphere.”
Burgette’s most recent stop was a seven-year tenure as head coach at Kansas City Kansas Community College, putting together a 133-78 record on the court. He was Blue Devils’ fastest coach in program history to 100 wins, needing just 160 games to reach that mark. He also coached his squad to a winning record in all seven seasons and three 20-win seasons.
The 2024-25 season was the best in program history, winning 26 games, capturing the NJCAA DII Region VI Title and earning the program’s first-ever win at the NJCAA DII Championship, defeating Raritan Valley. Following the season, BJ Stewart was named a Second Team NJCAA DII All-American and Burgette was named the Plains District Coach of the Year.
Burgette took over a program without a winning season in the past three years, and in 2019-20, led the Blue Devils to their first-ever regular season conference championship and Region VI title, earning region and conference coach of the year honors.
Prior to his time at KCKCC, he was an assistant coach at Johnson County Community College for three years, compiling a 97-33 record with two regional titles, two conference titles and a 2019 NJCAA finals run.
He also spent four years at Indian Hills Community College, aiding the Warriors to a 121-16 record across his tenure. The team won conference and regional titles in all four seasons and was the 2014 NCJAA runner-up.
Burgette spent his college career between North Central College and Southwest Baptist, earning Region 8 Runner-Up MVP honors at North Central before joining the Bearcats for a pair of MIAA championship titles that saw him earn an MIAA Sixth Man of the Year nod.
A native of Kansas City, Burgette attended Lee’s Summit North HS where he was an All-State, All-Conference and McDonald’s All-American Nominee performer.
Burgette graduated from Southwest Baptist in 2010 with a degree in Community Recreation before earning his master’s in Sports Management/Kinesiology from the University of Central Missouri in 2013.
