Bryan Turner was named the new head boys’ basketball coach at St. Mary’s on Tuesday afternoon.
Turner was officially named the head coach at a press conference at the school. He follows Kelvin Lee, who stepped down after three seasons as the Dragons’ head coach. Turner was Lee’s top assistant for those three seasons. Now, he moves over to become the head coach for what has become one of the top programs in the St. Louis metro area.
In those three years with Lee, Turner helped turn St. Mary’s from a middling program into a statewide powerhouse. Last season, the Dragons finished 25-4, won a district championship and lost an overtime heartbreaker to eventual state champion Vashon in the Class 4 sectionals at Parkway West.
The Dragons will return a strong nucleus from that team, including point guard Yuri Collins, shooting guard Tony Burks and forwards Yahuza Rasas, Dominic Mitchell and Miles Jones, plus sparkplugs Lavel Harris and Donavanne Austin. They will be one of the top contenders in the Class 4 state-championship chase.
“I’m very thankful to be a head coach,” said Turner. “For three years, we’ve put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into the program. Now, we want to get over the hump. It’s going to take a lot of hard work and dedication. We’re going to continue to instill that hard work and discipline in the program.”
A 1999 graduate of Beaumont High, Turner was a four-year starter for coach Bird Hamilton. He finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in the school’s storied history. Turner started his collegiate career at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Mo, where he was a junior college All-American for then coach Corey Tate, who is now an assistant coach at Saint Louis University.
Turner then finished his collegiate career at Southern Illinois University, where he was a starting guard on the Salukis team that won the Missouri Valley Conference title and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2002. At Southern Illinois, he played for Bruce Webber and Matt Painter, who are now the head coaches at Kansas State and Purdue, respectively.
“I have played for some great coaches and learned a lot at every level,” Turner said. “The one thing I’ve learned the most is that preparation is the key.”
