It's Time To Name Rodney Terry as Longhorns Permanent Head Coach

Rodney Terry is the man to lead the Texas Longhorns men’s basketball program into the future, and he proved it on Saturday night.

In the face of overwhelming odds, Texas Longhorns acting head coach Rodney Terry has accomplished the impossible.

And what the Longhorns did on Saturday night, taking down the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks 76-56 in Kansas City to win the Big 12 Tournament Championship, was nothing short of amazing.

After taking over for the now-fired, and seemingly Ole Miss-bound Chris Beard, nobody expected the Longhorns to remain a national title contender.

Instead, he led the Horns on a magical run, potentially earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament along the way

Yes, his team had the talent.

But this was the Big 12. The big, bad conference of college basketball.

And without the man who had rebuilt the program from the ground up, instead of folding under the seemingly insurmountable pressure building in front of him, Terry stared down that adversity and flourished.

Could any other assistant or interim head coach have accomplished the same?

Likely not.

Sure, Terry has earned praise, winning the Sporting News Coach of the Year, and being named a semi-finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year.

But now it is time for athletic director Chris Del Conte to give him the ultimate reward, by making him the full-time head coach for the University of Texas.

There is likely not another coach in America that could bring this team in its current form together, and continue the kind of success that Terry has been able to sustain since taking over the position.

So why waste any more time? 

It is time to make it official.

Forget the other candidates.

Forget the other home-run swings or big names.

This program does not need John Calipari. It does not need Mick Cronin, Eric Musselman or an up-and-coming Grant McCasland.

Yes, they are all great coaches, and some of the best in the business.

But Texas Longhorns men’s basketball now belongs to Rodney Terry, regardless of what happens during March Madness.

And it’s time to make it official. 

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You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

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