Texas A&M head coach Mark Turgeon watches with a deflated group of Aggies as the game winds down.

Mark Turgeon, third-year coach of the Texas A&M Aggies, recently put the program’s renaissance in perspective.

“I’m really pleased with the success we’ve had,” Turgeon said, “because it’s not easy to keep it going, especially — don’t take this wrong — at Texas A&M. We don’t have a lot of history. To keep it going over this long a period of time … I’m pleased at our success and what we’ve accomplished.”

What the Aggies have done, thanks in part to Turgeon and his predecessor, Billy Gillispie, is snare five straight NCAA Tournament appearances — two under Gillispie and three under Turgeon.

That’s at a school that prior to Gillispie/Turgeon had just six NCAA Tourney appearances all-time.

“I’ve enjoyed the winning, enjoyed the kids,” Turgeon said of his first three seasons in College Station, following his seven-year stint at Wichita State.

“I think our program will continue to get better and better.”

Pleasant surprise

He doesn’t want the credit for this season, which has to be classified as a pleasant surprise. Derrick Roland suffered a broken leg in a Dec. 23 nonconference clash at Washington, effectively putting an end to all expectations for the 2009-10 season.

Instead, A&M roared to a 22-8 overall record including an 11-5 mark in league play. That was good for a second-place tie with Kansas State and Baylor in the Big 12 regular season standings.

“The older I get, the easier it is,” said Turgeon, a former Kansas University point guard.

“The older you get, you don’t care about publicity. You just care about the bottom line. You don’t care how you do it, who does it for you. You don’t care who gets the credit. I don’t care. I just want the guys playing up to their abilities.

“My ego is not so much I have to hide those type of things. Earlier this year, I thought I was overcoaching and said, ‘Guys, go play.”’

He credits senior leader Roland for encouraging guys like Donald Sloan, Bryan Davis, B.J. Holmes and David Loubeau.

“He has a lot to do with the way we responded. He was so positive during the whole thing,” Turgeon said of Roland. “He’s happy, smiling, leading. He’s been good for all of us. If he’d cried, moped and felt sorry for himself, I think we would have, too. He has a lot to do with how we’ve continued to play.”

So has Sloan, one of the conference’s top guards and a guy who lends hope to Aggie faithful who realize solid guard play is often a key to a team’s NCAA success.

Sloan, a 6-foot-3 senior from Dallas, averaged a team-leading 17.9 points a game during the regular season. He hit 175 of 392 shots for 44.6 percent, including 40 of 113 threes for 35.4 percent. A clutch free-throw shooter, he has iced 146 of 190 for 76.8 percent.

“Sloan has been Sloan,” Turgeon said. “Roland not being here … Donald bore the load. You don’t replace Derrick and what he did defensively and his experience. I always think Sloan is going to play well.”

Sloan likes the freedom Turgeon has given him his senior year.

“To me, it feels like he has total trust in us,” Sloan said. “He believes we are capable of making plays and controlling the game.

Harris distributor

As far as the other guards, 6-1 sophomore Dash Harris has been the best distributor with 100 assists against 52 turnovers. Holmes, a 5-11 junior, has averaged 9.2 points with 49 assists versus 53 bobbles. Perhaps lacking a dominant big man, the Aggies have capable inside talent in Davis, a 6-9 senior who averages 10.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg, and 6-8 soph Loubeau who averages 9.1 ppg and 4.8 rpg.

“It starts with defense. Once we get our defensive scheme going, it gets us relaxed and lets us get in the flow,” Sloan said.

The Aggies have averaged 72 points a game while allowing 64.

“So far it’s been a very coachable team, coachable from Day One,” Turgeon said. “We’ve been through a lot since last season ended. To be where we are in the No. 1 league in the country and doing what we’re doing so far … you are only as good as your last game. I don’t want like to act like we’re doing something special cause there are games left.”