Kelly Williams, Director of Athletics at Kean University, has announced the hiring of David Turco as the next head men’s basketball coach.

Turco takes over for Adam Hutchinson who was recently promoted to Assistant Director of Internal Affairs & Student Athlete Development.

Turco comes to Kean with almost 500 wins to his credit while coaching the past 23 plus years in the state of New Jersey.  He boasts a combined .780 winning percentage while at the reigns in both the high school and collegiate levels.  For his efforts he was inducted into the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Hall of Fame. 

“I am extremely excited about hiring Dave Turco as our next Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Kean University”, stated Williams. “Dave has an unbelievable reputation of building successful programs, caring for the well-being of student-athletes, and competing with integrity at his previous coaching positions. Coach Turco brings a wealth of experience to our basketball program and is well respected throughout the country for his leadership and ability to make players and teams better on and off the basketball court.  I was very impressed with his ability to develop some of the best high school players that have come from New Jersey including Karl Anthony Towns, Wade Baldwin IV, and Breein Tyree to name a few.”

In 21 seasons coaching at St. Joseph (Metuchen), South Brunswick and Carteret high schools, he won a combined 448 games.  In the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) he is the only coach to win five consecutive league championships (2010-2014).

Most recently Turco was at Middlesex County College where he collected 48 wins in just two seasons.  Turco took over a team that only won 13 games the previous year and led them to a 27-7 record in his first season. The 2018-19 Blue Colts won the Region XIX Championship and appeared in the NJCAA National Tournament.  This accomplishment led him to being named the Region XIX Coach of the Year and Region VI National Coach of the Year.  This past spring he led the team to the Region XIX semifinals and had 10 players named All-Academic.

Prior to his recent collegiate stint, he manned the sidelines at St. Joseph for 12 seasons with an impressive 285 wins (.828 win %).  His teams won three Parochial A State Championship titles with a Tournament of Champions crown.  Under his tutelage, 11 players crossed the 1,000 point plateau.  He coached many players who went on to impressive collegiate careers.  Furthermore, two of those players, Karl Anthony Towns and Wade Baldwin IV, advanced their careers into the professional realm in the NBA.  

In the nine years prior to his time at St. Joseph he combined for 163 wins at South Brunswick and Carteret and qualified for the state tournament every year.  His teams added five divisional championships. He has never had a losing season in his 23 years of head coaching.

“I would like to thank Dr. Repollet and Mr. Williams for believing in me and allowing me the opportunity of building this program to the level I know is truly possible,” stated Turco.  “I know that the combination of the 20 plus years of coaching experience and connections I have made, along with all that Kean has to offer potential student-athletes, will help us compete in one of the best conferences in the country. I am very excited to be joining the Cougar family and can’t wait to get started.”

Turco graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Moravian College after playing with the Greyhounds for four seasons.

https://keanathletics.com/news/2020/10/23/turco-named-head-mens-basketball-coach.aspx