Mountain West Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)

By Joey Loose | Jun 26, 2020

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 01: San Diego State Alumni Kawhi Leonard participates in his jersey retirement ceremony with former college coach Steve Fisher during half time of the game against the San Diego State Aztecs and the Utah State Aggies at Viejas Arena on February 01, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images) /

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FAYETTEVILLE, AR – NOVEMBER 17: Head Coach Rodney Terry of the Fresno State Bulldogs (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

10. Rodney Terry – Fresno State (2012-2018)

After a long assistant coaching career, Terry took over at Fresno State in 2011, inheriting a program that hadn’t been competitive in the WAC for nearly a decade. Before arriving in Fresno, he helped lead Texas to the Final Four in 2003 as an assistant and recruited all kinds of top talent for the Longhorns. Soon after taking over the Bulldogs program, he had a new challenge, adjusting the program as they joined the Mountain West in 2012.

While the road began in difficulty, Terry made great strides in his six years with the Bulldogs. They were already the CBI runners-up in this second season. In 2016, Fresno State made their first NCAA Tournament in fifteen years, winning its first MWC Tournament. In each of his final three seasons in Fresno, the Bulldogs won at least 20 games and finished no worse than 4th in the conference.

Terry departed for UTEP in 2018, bringing him back to his native Texas. He’s only just beginning to make an impact with the Miners, but his progress with the Bulldogs cannot be overlooked. Fresno State hadn’t had much basketball success since Jerry Tarkanian’s retirement but Terry helped lead them back to the NCAA Tournament. Consider also that the Bulldogs mightily struggled this past season, perhaps offering further proof of Terry’s talent.