Texas basketball head coach Rodney Terry gave an instant reaction to the reports about his murky future in Austin. The Longhorns dropped a heartbreaker to Xavier in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday. Texas was up for most of the game until the Musketeers launched a furious rally to erase a 13-point deficit to win the game 86-80. With this defeat, the Longhorns’ embattled leader is expected to be on the way out after close to three years of being in charge.
In the postgame interview, Texas beat writer Eric Henry recorded Terry’s full response to the rumors of his likely departure.
“I’ve been at Texas 13 years, and there’s not a year I haven’t made the NCAA Tournament or been a part of the NCAA Tournament. I have a lot of – I have a lot of pride in terms of being a Longhorn and love being at Texas. I don’t think anyone has been a part of Texas basketball that’s been more successful than myself. I’ve been a part of several top-five seasons in this program’s history. I give our guys a lot of credit for putting themselves in a great position to be here tonight. At the end of the day, it’s in God’s hands. At the end of the day, I live my life, I’m a believer, and if God has plans for me to be here, then I’ll be here.”
The Longhorns trying season came to an unfortunate end on Wednesday night
Rodney Terry’s tenure as head coach started at the beginning of the 2022-23 season. Then-program leader Chris Beard was fired for domestic violence charges, which led to Terry’s promotion as interim head coach. That year, the Longhorns’ new head coach led the program to an impressive Elite Eight appearance. Rodney was then given the full-time tag for keeping this team together during a turbulent time.
Unfortunately, Texas basketball has put up worse records over the next two years and struggled this season in the SEC. Terry’s team finished with a record of 19-16 and was 6-12 in conference play. The results have simply not been up to par, and it looks like the athletic department is heading in a new direction.
Regardless of his future at the school, Terry should be beloved by every Longhorn fan for his contributions to Texas basketball. The 56-year-old was originally an assistant coach under Rick Barnes from 2002-2011. During this tenure, the program reached the Final Four in 2003 for the first time since 1947. Terry subsequently returned to the program in 2021 after two stints as a head coach at Fresno State and UTEP.
The Angleton native has been a phenomenal contributor to Texas basketball and should be given his flowers. If this is the end for Terry, the Longhorns’ have their work cut out for them this offseason. This program is in a loaded SEC Conference that does not look to be getting worse anytime soon. Texas’ athletic department will need to nail this next hire to be a contender in the best league in the country anytime soon. It’s ultimately a long way back to the top for this program, but those are the expectations in Austin.
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