Longhorns Rodney Terry Not Defined by Prior Head Coaching Stops

Rodney Terry spoke about his head coaching history and what he learned during his time at Fresno State and UTEP.

© BRIANA SANCHEZ/EL PASO TIMES via Imagn Content Services, LLC

When Rodney Terry took over for the Texas Longhorns as the interim coach following the suspension of Chris Beard in December, it could have derailed the Longhorns' season.

After all, in their first game under Terry they needed overtime to outlast Rice in an 87-81 victory. Based on that game alone some were declaring the Longhorns dead in the water.

What happened next, though, was anything but a "what if?" season for the Longhorns with Terry at the helm. Instead, they went 22-8 and won the Big 12 tournament before making their first Elite Eight appearance in 15 years. 

However, even with the sheer amount of success Texas saw under Terry, he still had his detractors who pointed at his time as the head coach of Fresno State and UTEP prior to coming back to Texas where he went 163-156 overall.

It would have been easy for him to be dejected by his previous head coaching experience, but instead, Terry offered a candid response to what he learned in his previous stops.

“The 10 years that I was a head coach, you’re literally working so hard. I went to two situations where they were total rebuilds," Terry said. "Even as you got the program where you wanted it, you would still fight each day to continue to keep the program there."

"I think I never really got the chance to enjoy it as you build it and you have a level of success."

There is no denying the vast difference in resources between Texas and both UTEP and Fresno State. 

At Texas, Terry will likely consistently be put in a position to win and put together elite rosters via both recruiting and the transfer portal to go with some of the best facilities in college athletics.

When the story is finished for Terry's time at Texas, there is no telling how it will look, nor how long and successful of a career he'll have in Austin.

For now, though, Terry is the guy for the Longhorns, and is ready to prove that his success this season was only the beginning. 

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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