ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - Longtime Bard College men's basketball coach Adam Turner '06 has announced that he has made the decision to leave Bard for the private sector. Turner has been at Bard since 2002, when he arrived in Annandale as a first year student.

A national search for his replacement is under way.

"Adam has been an integral part of the Bard Athletics Department and the men's basketball program for almost 20 years, and the work he has done will help us for years to come," said Interim Athletic Director David Lindholm. "He is also leaving the team in great shape, with a roster of strong and committed returning students and an exciting group of incoming first-years."

Turner was a prized basketball recruit who made an immediate impact on the men's basketball program. He was a four-year starter and three-year captain for the Raptors, earning DIII News All-American status twice, and his 1,785 career points remain atop Bard's record book in that category.

He began his coaching career at Bard as an assistant in the year after he graduated, and when he became head coach in 2009, he was one of the youngest coaches in all of NCAA Div. III. He leaves Bard as the longest-tenured coach on the staff.

"Building the Bard basketball program from the ground up as a player and coach has been the joy of my life," Turner said. "At the end of my journey, it is the relationships I've built and the lives I've had a chance to impact that will be what I take away. We've gone from the bottom of Division III to beating NESCAC opponents, hanging with nationally-ranked teams, making the playoffs in a high-level league, and most importantly laying a foundation in recruiting and on the court that is going to allow the program to reach new heights in the next 20 years."

Among the highlights for Turner was Bard's 59-57 victory over Vassar in the Raptors' first Liberty League game in 2012, and Bard's first Liberty League playoff berth, which Turner and the Raptors claimed at the end of the 2018-19 season. He has carefully maintained and grown a strong relationship with men's basketball alumni.

"I am so excited to become the biggest Raptor fan and a supportive alum," Turner said. "While I will no longer work at Bard, I will be a Raptor forever. Go Raptors!"

Turner's departure will impact more than the men's basketball program.

"I met Adam on my first day at Bard and have depended on him ever since for his advice, insight, and experience," Lindholm said. "He knows so much and cares so deeply about Bard, our athletics department, and the students - past, present, and future. We're going to miss him greatly, but I'm glad to know that he'll be nearby and continuing to support our staff, teams, and student-athletes moving forward. I am excited for him and his family as he changes careers and look forward to seeing him at basketball games and other Bard events next year and beyond."