Mark Turgeon would rather Terrell Stoglin start, not sub

The midpoint of Mark Turgeon’s first season at Maryland arrived Wednesday night in much the same way things began almost two months earlier.

Terrell Stoglin did something minor away from basketball to warrant coming off the bench rather than starting the game. Then he tossed up 20 points anyway as the Terrapins outlasted Wake Forest 70-64.

Turgeon wouldn’t delve into details, though he said Stoglin’s parents agreed with the new coach’s approach. That might be a double-team more effective than anything the ACC’s leading scorer faced on the court through Maryland’s first 15 games.

“It’s been a very interesting year,” Stoglin said with a knowing smile.

Of course, it figured to be all along.

Even before the season opener, when Stoglin subbed in a few minutes in, it was clear the give and take between Maryland’s new coach and primary scorer would be a curious subplot. And as the Terps (11-4, 1-1 ACC) navigated nonconference play and eventually plunged into their league schedule this week, the message so often remains the same.

Turgeon demands attention to defense from Stoglin, whose on-court reputation is built almost exclusively on his proclivities on the offensive end. He also covets maturity for a team with a critically limited supply.

For all of Turgeon’s wishes, he also clearly understands reality. Stoglin’s unwavering competitiveness remains a crucial asset for Maryland, which plays host to Georgia Tech (8-8, 1-1) on Sunday. He’s tried to improve his defense, though he’s anything but a lockdown option at that end. There’s also his obvious offensive impact.

Stoglin accounted for 30.5 percent of his team’s points in the first half of the season, easily the highest in the conference (Wake Forest’s Travis McKie is second at 26.0 percent). It hasn’t happened without some unwise choices Turgeon must tolerate to receive optimal production.

“Terrell’s a great scorer, and he’s going to take some bad shots, but at the end of the day he makes some tough shots each and every night, which is a plus for us,” guard Sean Mosley said. “You can’t take that from his game.”

Of late, Turgeon urged Stoglin to simply trust his teammates more instead of hoisting shot after shot after shot, especially with the addition of skilled center Alex Len late last month.

Stoglin didn’t have an assist while collecting 25 points in Sunday’s loss at N.C. State, prompting Turgeon’s message for more passing. Stoglin then didn’t have an assist against Wake Forest.

“It’s a process, but I’m working on it,” Stoglin said. “I’m up for the challenge. I’ll get better at it.”

The pulls and tugs and pleas aren’t all about shot selection and willingness to defend, even halfway through the season. Wednesday was the latest illustration, with Stoglin learning during the week he would come off the bench against Wake Forest.

He still logged 34 minutes, still iced Maryland’s first conference victory under Turgeon with free throws in the closing seconds. And, like Turgeon, he wasn’t interested in shedding much light on his latest minor transgression.

“I’m trying to make Terrell a man,” Turgeon said. “His parents are on board with it, and there’s responsibilities outside of basketball you have to do. We’ll see if it helps him. Nothing major. We just need the kid to grow up.”

That’s the most succinct way of describing the central goal of Turgeon’s tutelage of Stoglin, an aim that still could make an interesting year even more fascinating for player and coach alike over the next 15 games.

“It’s made me a better person off the court and on the court, and I appreciate it,” Stoglin said. “Just making the right decisions, making the right choices. Basically, that’s it.”