Mark Turgeon had lots to worry about last season.

As losses mounted and personalities clashed during a disappointing 17-15 campaign, the Terrapins men’s basketball coach ran out of answers. Trust among teammates dissipated. Turgeon would provide his players with days off only to see them fail to do the right things with their free time.

By necessity, he started concentrating less on what was happening on the court and more on what was happening off it.

The offseason came. Five rotation players transferred. Fans called for Turgeon’s job. A program that once saw the view from the mountaintop plunged deeper into mediocrity.

A year later, though, the No. 8 Terps are mediocre no more. They’re national title contenders and are seeded No. 2 in this weekend’s Big Ten tournament.

And while the wealth of talent at Turgeon’s disposal, highlighted by freshman point guard Melo Trimble, can’t be denied, the fourth-year sideline general has earned the right to be recognized for his tremendous achievement.

Turgeon was instrumental in this turnaround. He never wavered in his belief in the program, his principles and those who refused to turn their backs on the team..

That’s why he should be strongly considered for the Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year Award — the highest honor in coaching.

“He’s had a lot of unfair criticism over the past couple years,” guard Dez Wells said of Turgeon. “For him to come up and to step up and respond the way that he has and coach us and challenge us the way he has over the last year, it’s been amazing. He deserves it.”

Don’t be mistaken; there are plenty of other worthy candidates for the award across college basketball.

Virginia’s Tony Bennett has instituted his grind-it-out style to firmly cement the Cavaliers in the top five despite losing his best player, Justin Anderson, to injury. Kentucky’s John Calipari harnessed the potential of nine McDonald’s All-Americans using team-first basketball to lead the Wildcats to a perfect regular season.

Ben Jacobson of Northern Iowa and Chris Holtmann of Butler, meanwhile, sustained unexpected success in mid-major conferences.

Any of these coaches is qualified for the award. And odds are, Turgeon won’t bring the coveted honor back to College Park.

But that’s not the point.

The mere fact that Turgeon is in the conversation for Coach of the Year is a testament to his resolve.

Another season of underperformance, and Turgeon’s ouster would have come as no surprise.

Now, he has opportunity to build something special.

His players understand that.

“To be able to go from what happened to where we are now, it’s definitely got to be hard, especially for the head coach,” forward Jake Layman said. “But it just shows how much everyone cares about him on this team because we’re all doing it — not just for each other, but for Coach.”

Aside from job security, the Terps’ transformation has had a huge impact on how Turgeon conducts himself on a daily basis.

He no longer has to worry about his players making good decisions during off days.

“He trusts us,” Layman said.

Turgeon’s worries this season are much more innocuous.

“The biggest issue he might have had this year is if somebody was five minutes late to class,” Wells said.

Turgeon smiles more. He’s relaxed. He’s having fun again.

He’s now focused on the things that matter the most, Wells said: coaching basketball and ensuring the positive development of all his players.

And with a team full of confidence and ability, Turgeon can start cementing what will surely be a historic Terps legacy this weekend in Chicago.