NCAA Basketball: 3 underrated Power 6 coaching hires from 2023 offseason

Rodney Terry to Texas

Perhaps “to” isn’t the operative word in the above subhead. After all, Rodney Terry was already at Texas before the start of the offseason.

Terry took on the difficult duty of replacing Chris Beard when he was ousted due to domestic violence allegations in the middle of the season. The outlook of many was that Terry would be a caretaker of the role until the end of the season, then the Longhorns would go get a big name like Rick Pitino.

It’s impossible to say what Texas’ ceiling would’ve been with Beard in charge, but Terry probably hit it, if not exceeding it. The team went 22-8 under Terry, winning the Big 12 Tournament title. Then, he took the Longhorns all the way to the Elite Eight before they succumbed to the Miami Hurricanes.

Texas didn’t have much of a choice but to keep Terry after the run the Longhorns had, but that doesn’t make it a bad decision. In fact, Terry has spent years gearing up for this opportunity and will make the most of it.

Terry was born in Texas. He played his college basketball at a small Division II school in Austin. He coached high school basketball in the state and served as an assistant at both Baylor and Texas before getting his first head coaching job at the Division I level.

Terry was successful at Fresno State, going 126-108 and making an NCAA Tournament appearance before departing for UTEP. There were fits and starts there – including a scary anaphylactic shock incident – but Terry wasn’t a complete failure there. Still, the allure of going back to Texas when Beard was hired was too strong.

And don’t think Terry was just along for the ride at Texas before Beard’s departure. He helped build much of the roster that just made the Elite Eight. He was also in charge of the recruitment of incoming top prospect A.J. Johnson.

The permanent hiring of Rodney Terry felt unrecognized because he was already in place and by the end of the year, the elevation felt presumed. But Texas may have quietly walked away with one of the best personnel moves of the offseason.