Texas is hiring interim head coach Rodney Terry on a permanent basis after guiding the Longhorns to an Elite 8 run, two months after Chris Beard’s midseason firing
Texas has agreed to terms with Rodney Terry to become the Longhorns’ full-time head basketball coach, removing the interim tag from his title after he led the program to the Elite Eight of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Terry’s promotion follows the midseason firing of Chris Beard, who was named Mississippi’s new head coach in March, nearly two months after being fired by Texas for a felony domestic violence arrest.
The Longhorns ended their March Madness run on Sunday after being knocked out by Miami, 88-81, ending the program’s longest postseason run since 2008.
Financial terms of Monday’s deal were not immediately available though Terry is expected to earn close to Beard’s base salary of $2million.
Since taking over on January 5, Terry and Texas have won the Big 12 Tournament Championship. Questions about the 55-year-old’s future with the team have been magnified as the Longhorns continue to win in the postseason.
Rodney Terry was announced as Texas’ basketball head coach on Monday, two months after being named to the interim team in January
Chris Beard was fired by the Longhorns midway through this season when Texas was 7-1 overall
Texas fans wondered what else he had to prove and Longhorns players publicly advocated for Terry after he led the team to an overall 29-9 record. Following Beard’s midseason departure, Texas was 7-1 when Terry took over on an interim basis.
On Sunday, after the team’s exit from March Madness, Terry became emotional when asked about his desire to become the Longhorns’ full-time, head coach.
‘I haven’t really had much time to think about it, to be honest,’ he said. ‘I am very wrapped up and invested in my team. Again, I love these guys.
‘I will not only love these people for the time I coach them, I will love them for the rest of their lives. I will go to their wedding. I will talk to those men when they have their first born.
‘It’s about this team, man, and I’ve enjoyed every day of this journey with this team. I will really miss — I will really miss working with this group. It was never about me. It’s always about these guys. I love these men.’
Texas won the Big 12 tournament championship for the first time in two seasons under Terry
The Longhorns were defeated by Miami, 88-81, in the Elite Eight of March Madness on Sunday
Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte praised Terry’s work in handling the team in crisis and gave him a raise, albeit only through April.
He also noted that Terry inherited a veteran roster and strong staff of assistants built by Beard.
Hired as an assistant at Texas under Rick Barnes from 2002-11, Terry got his first head coaching job at the collegiate level at Fresno State, where he spent seven seasons, before being hired by UTEP in 2018, where he coach until 2021.
Between the three schools, Terry has a combined record of 185-164 and two NCAA Tournament appearances.
