March 11, 2000 SportsLine.com wire reports

WICHITA, Kan. -- A day after resigning as basketball coach at Jacksonville State, Mark Turgeon was hired Saturday to succeed Randy Smithson at Wichita State, a job bringing him back to his native Kansas.

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Turgeon, born in Topeka, was a point guard at Kansas in the mid-1980s and later an assistant coach there under Larry Brown and Roy Williams.

"I left Kansas eight years ago, and I have been fighting my way back ever since" an emotional Turgeon said at a news conference. "This is an easy decision for me because of family and to get back home.

Smithson was forced to resign Sunday after the Shockers finished 12-17.

"This is a perfect time for me to be here -- not that the program is in total disarray, because it is not," he said, referring to last week's 57-50 loss to Indiana State in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinal.

Turgeon, 35, spent two seasons at Jacksonville State. After going 8-18 last year, his Gamecocks improved to 17-11 this season.

Athletic director Jim Schaus said Turgeon agreed to a five-year contract paying him a guaranteed $200,000 annually. The contract has incentives including basketball camps, a television show and a shoe contract. Schaus said he expects Turgeon to make close to $250,000 a year.

Turgeon graduated from Kansas in 1987 and became an assistant on Larry Brown's staff when the Jayhawks won the 1988 national championship. He assisted Roy Williams at Kansas until 1992.