Valparaiso University

Renee’ Turpa currently serves as both Group Ticket Coordinator for Valparaiso University and women’s basketball/volleyball color analyst for home broadcast on The Valley on ESPN, 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 in multiple facets with several basketball organizations both statewide and nationally.
 
In 2021, Turpa became the first female to be inducted into the National High School Basketball Coaches Association’s Court of Honor as a pioneer for girls high school basketball in the state of Indiana.
 
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.
 
Following her days in Muncie, Turpa taught special education at Portage High School for 32 years, where she authored and taught the Adaptive Physical Education Curriculum.
 
In addition to her service in the classroom, she served as varsity girls basketball coach for the Indians for 17 years. 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.
 
Turpa returned to the bench in 2016 as an assistant coach with Marquette Catholic. She helped guide the Blazers to state titles in 2018 and 2019 in addition to three regional championships and 2024 State Runner-up.
 
Turpa has been married to her husband, Pete, for 44 years as of June 7th, 2025. He was a history teacher and football coach at Portage and Valparaiso high schools for 33 years before retiring. The Turpas reside in Valparaiso, Indiana.