M. K. Turk (May 20, 1942 – December 6, 2013) was an American

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

player and coach. A native of

Bardwell, Kentucky Bardwell is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Carlisle County, Kentucky, United States. The city was formally incorporated by the state assembly in 1878. The population was 714 at the 2020 census, down from 723 in 2010. Bardwe ...

, Turk played basketball at Carlisle County High School from 1957 to 1960. He was the junior captain and an all-state JUCO player at Copiah-Lincoln Community College from 1960 to 1962. Turk later played for Livingston University in the now-defunct Alabama Collegiate Conference from 1963 to 1964. He was the lead scorer on his team. Livingston University named him

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

and Most Outstanding Athlete. He was also recognized by Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. After his graduation, he was the graduate assistant coach for Livingston University from 1964 to 1965. From 1965 to 1967, he coached at Cobb County High School in

Cobb County, Georgia Cobb County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, and is a core county of the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north-central portion of the state. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 766, ...

. He returned to Livingston University to be the assistant coach from 1967 to 1968. From 1968 to 1974, he was the athletic director and head basketball coach at Copiah-Lincoln Community College. His team was named third in the nation and were Region VII champions in 1973. The

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing association of community college, state college, and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions across 24 states ...

named him the Regional Coach of the Year in 1973. He then acted as the assistant basketball coach at

Memphis State University The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. The university maintains the Herff Col ...

from 1974 to 1976. He was head coach of the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...

Golden Eagles The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of p ...

from 1976 to 1996. In 1986, he was named the

Metro Conference The Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference, popularly known as the Metro Conference, was an NCAA Division I athletics conference, so named because its six charter members were all in urban metropolitan areas, though its later members di ...

Coach of the Year. He appeared at the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2023, all rounds of the tournament are played at various sites across the country whi ...

(NIT) six times and took the championship in 1987. The same year, he was named the NIT Coach of the Year. He appeared at the

NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the Division I level ...

in 1990 and 1991. In 1991, the team was ranked among the top 25 college basketball teams in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and Mississippi sportswriters named him Coach of the Year. The team won the Metro Conference Tournament championship in 1995. During his time coaching at Southern Mississippi, his teams accumulated a total of 300 wins and 267 losses, making him the winningest men's basketball coach in the history of the school. In 1981, Turk was inducted to the Livingston University Athletic Hall of Fame, and then to the Copiah-Lincoln Community College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1991, he was inducted to the Southern Mississippi Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2005, Turk was inducted to the

Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Jackson, Mississippi. The hall of fame was established in 1961 and is currently located in a museum that displays the achievements of Mississippi athletes. The museum opened on July 4, ...

. Turk died on December 6, 2013, at the age of 71. He was survived by his wife, Katrina, and their two daughters.

Head coaching record

College

References

External links

Turk coaching stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turk, M. K. 1942 births 2013 deaths American men's basketball coaches Basketball players from Kentucky Junior college athletic directors in the United States Junior college men's basketball coaches in the United States Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Memphis Tigers men's basketball coaches Southern Miss Golden Eagles basketball coaches West Alabama Tigers men's basketball players High school basketball coaches in Georgia (U.S. state) People from Bardwell, Kentucky American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Kentucky 20th-century American sportsmen