© William Purnell, USA TODAY
Rodney Terry Earned His Shot As Longhorns' Long-Term Answer At Head Coach
He did enough.
Don't let the small-minded fans who only look at big-name brands and "rising" coaches try to sway your opinion.
Usually, those "can't-miss coaching superstars" are strikeouts when they get to the big leagues.
He did enough.
Please don't think because a program that fired its coach midseason amid a domestic violence charge underwhelmed. If anything, it over exceeded.
A new coach, new personnel and a new feel? The same end goal of cutting down the nets in Houston, Texas nearly becoming a reality.
That's all because of coaching.
Rodney Terry did enough. And now, he'll have the chance to prove that 2023 wasn't a one-year wonder, agreeing to terms on a five-year deal to make him Texas' permanent head coach.
Terry likely wouldn't be on Texas' radar if he were at Florida Atlantic. Miami and UConn wouldn't let him walk out the door if his run with the Longhorns was on display in Coral Gables or Storrs. And San Diego State? The Aztecs reached their first Final Four in program history.
Do you think the Aztecs wouldn't have removed the interim tag had Terry won the Mountain West Conference before the Madness of March started?
It's Texas. It's a big-time school with even bigger pockets to court anyone in the country to flee their program overnight and hitch their wagon to the Forty Acres' fandom. It's an institution with national championship aspirations and national title-type players walking through the doors every offseason.
Terry won't win the headlines among national pundits who will find a way to criticize Texas' collapse in the closing minutes of the Elite Eight. He won't be viewed as an up-and-comer in the industry like perhaps Dusty May or Tobin Anderson. He's 55 and has already been a head coach at two other programs.
But what is Texas looking for in its future? Wins.
All Terry did was claim victory after victory en route to the Longhorns' first regional final appearance since 2008.
It's not just the right fit on paper, but also in potential.
“Give RT the job,” senior Sir'Jabari Rice told reporters postgame. “What are you waiting for? Give him the job. I don’t understand why he doesn’t have it yet. Like, who are you considering? The last time Texas was in the Elite Elite and the Final Four, RT was part of the team. We’re back here, and he is the head of the snake."
No, the Longhorns won't be playing for a national title this season. They haven't been graced with that opportunity since 2003, back when Rick Barnes was leading the charge in Austin.
But they came close. That has to account for something, right?
Chris Beard, a Texas alum and the name that was set to bring the program to new heights after Shaka Smart left for Marquette, was fired after an investigation surrounding a domestic dispute between him and his fiancée back in December.
At the time, no one would have batted an eye if Texas missed the tournament altogether. Terry rarely found success at smaller programs like Fresno State and UTEP. Now you're asking him to figure out how to lead a team with the same level of on-court expectations as off-court distractions?
Color yourself shocked and buy a lottery ticket if you had Terry being the coach that ended Texas' 15-year drought of missing the second weekend of March Madness.
Let it ride on black or red if you had the interim guy having more success than two of the more decorated coaches in college hoops at the time when DeLoss Dodds and Chris Del Conte offered them the keys to the Big 12 kingdom.
An 88-81 loss will turn some fans away from Terry being the next Longhorns head coach. Not because the game at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City ended in defeat, but rather the outcome of the final 13 minutes.
Texas led by 13 and was driving up and down the hardwood for easy buckets. Then, the Hurricanes' offense found a second wind and blew past everything in their path. ACC Player of the Year Isaiah Wong got hot. The Horns got cold.
Marcus Carr was a different player after colliding with Miami big man Norchad Omier. So was Brock Cunningham after a loose-ball foul on Ormier gave the Hurricanes two shots and the lead with a minute remaining.
Still, who had Texas here back in December when the status of Beard remained a mystery? Who had the Horns fighting down to the wire with a program that dismantled No. 1-seed Houston Friday night when midseason games against Oklahoma State and Texas Tech — two programs that missed the tournament — came down to free throws and fouls?
Terry instilled belief in a veteran roster with nothing to lose. In return, players guzzled down the Kool-Aid Terry was mixing.
The result? A sweet recipe that ended with a Big 12 title and the dismemberment of Kansas near its own backyard. It also led to a second-seeded ranking in the tournament, meaning a more accessible pathway to win the region.
Rice was one of many Horns who gave their seal of approval for the interim tag to be removed. Carr echoed a similar sentiment while embracing the tear-filled Terry during the postgame presser.
Players fought for Terry. Now, the school returned to the favor by keeping him around.
“Our administration has been very supportive, and I think there will be an opportunity here soon to talk and see where everything is," Terry said.
Coaches are leaders both on and off the court. Selling a program like Texas is easy. It becomes even easier when you have the right face at the helm.
Before the tears began to fog up his glasses, Terry mentioned how this Texas team would have a special place in his heart. He expected wedding invitations, pregnancy announcements to hang on his refrigerator and late-night phone calls on how to help a restless infant fall back asleep.
The thing is, any coach can say that in the moment. For Terry, it feels genuine. Not just with this set of Horns' players, but anyone who decided to commit to the program in the future.
“I’m going to really miss working with this group,” Terry said as the emotions and sense of finality set in. “It was never about me. It was always about these guys. I love these guys.”
No, Terry isn't the big swing hire that will set social media ablaze with euphoric praise. He's not the coach that comes from a winning background of consistency and dominance at a lesser-known school with immense upside.
But he's a winner. He accomplished more than Smart and Beard could amid more scrutiny than what most interim coaches face when handed the whistle and whiteboard.
Texas lost Sunday night, but it might have won for years to come.
And Terry wasn't given the job in Austin. He earned it.
How?
Because he did enough.
You can follow Cole Thompson on Twitter @MrColeThompson
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