© Jay Biggerstaff, USA TODAY
Longhorns’ Rodney Terry Sets Record Straight on Chris Beard ‘Recruits’: ‘Don’t Get it Twisted’
Texas Longhorns new head coach Rodney Terry wants to make sure everyone has the facts before assuming that he’s taking over a team that Chris Beard built.
After taking the Longhorns to their first Elite Eight in 15 years, obviously some credit is owed to Terry, who did so under unprecedented circumstances.
“Chris was a great coach and someone I respected for over 20 years in the business,” Terry said in an interview with The Field of 68. “But again, Chris didn’t put this roster together by himself. We put this roster together. … I’m not one to pat myself on the back … but I recruited three starters on this roster, don’t get it twisted.”
Taken out of context - and especially for those that haven’t heard Terry speak throughout the season - these comments could be seen as a bit unnecessary from RT, but Beard himself said during his time at Texas how vital Terry was to the recruiting operation and the on-court success.
Additionally, the players from this year’s squad have said that Terry was essentially a second head coach on the staff and was not your typical assistant. After all, his title before Beard’s arrest was “associate head coach.”
But while Terry set the record straight from a recruiting standpoint, he also made sure to acknowledge how much of a group effort it took to build the roster.
“It’s a team effort, it’s always a team effort in terms of putting the roster together,” Terry said.
But now that he’s in charge, Terry plans to use his decade-plus of experience at Texas to begin a new era of Longhorns basketball.
“You can go back to the best five seasons in Texas basketball and I’ve been a part of them the entire time,” Terry said. “I know the landscape, I know what it takes to be successful at this university. We’re gonna roll our sleeves up and get after it.”
Despite Beard’s sudden departure, the Longhorns maintained championship expectations throughout this season before falling short in the Elite Eight. It’s no surprise that Terry’s goals aren’t changing as he heads into a vital offseason for the program.
“We’re here for no other reason but to win a national championship,” he said.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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