Coach Turpa currently serves as both Group Ticket Coordinator and women’s basketball and volleyball color analyst for Valparaiso University, where she received her master’s degree in 1989. In addition to her responsibilities at Valpo, the former teacher and coach at Portage High School works multiple facets with several basketball organizations, both state-wide and nationally. Turpa sits on the Board of Directors for both the National High School Basketball Coaches Association (NHSBCA) and the National Organization of Coaches Association Directors (NOCAD). Furthermore, she serves as Assistant Director with the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) in addition to her role on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Youth Sports Committee. A 1979 graduate of Ball State University, Turpa earned six varsity letters while with the Cardinals: women’s basketball (4), women’s golf (1), and softball (1). She holds the distinction of starting in the Women’s College World Series in 1975. In addition to her service as a classroom teacher at Portage High School, she served as varsity girls’ basketball coach for the Indians in 17 of her 32 years in that school. Turpa remains the winningest coach in school history for either gender. When basketball wasn’t in season, she led the cross country and track programs at Portage. She has just returned to coaching after a 10-year absence and in 2 years as an Assistant, the team won the 1A State Championship. Renee and husband Pete celebrated their 40th wedding Anniversary in June of 2021. (pdturpa@comcast.net)
