Rodney Terry's Magical Longhorns Season Ends With Loss to Miami, But is He Here to stay?

The Longhorns have an important decision to make in the coming days, but it is one that should not be difficult.

When Chris Beard was fired earlier this season, many expected the Texas Longhorns basketball team to collapse. 

Instead, interim head coach Rodney Terry led the Longhorns on a deep NCAA Tournament run. 

One that ultimately ended on Sunday night in the Elite Eight with an 88-81 loss to Miami. 

And now, the Longhorns and athletic director Chris Del Conte will have a very important decision to make for the future of the program. 

Do they bring back Terry as the permanent head coach? 

Or, do they go out and hunt for a big fish head coaching candidate?

Frankly, while that decision is critical, it should not be a difficult one.

The Longhorns are Rodney Terry's team, and they have been since Beard's initial suspension. 

The players and the staff believe in him, recruits seem to engage with him, and he has now led the Longhorns to their first Elite Eight since the Rick Barnes era. 

Shaka Smart couldn't do it. Chris Beard couldn't do it. And even Barnes - the winningest coach in program history - had not done it in his final seven seasons.

Suffice it to say, what Terry was able to accomplish over the last few two-and-a-half months with the Horns was nearly impossible. 

Was the Longhorns' final 11 minutes of game action on Sunday - in which they blew an 11-point lead - played as well as it could have been?

Absolutely not. 

But that doesn't mean it was all on Terry. 

What is all on Terry, was his ability to lead the Longhorns through an incredibly difficult Big 12 Tournament and win a conference championship, followed by the deepest NCAA Tournament run in 15 years. 

And there likely is not another coach in the country that could have accomplished what he just did. 

And now, he should reap the rewards. 

You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

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