Longhorns Officially Name Rodney Terry as Head Coach

Rodney Terry is now officially the 26th head coach in the history of the Texas Longhorns men's basketball program.

© Scott Sewell, USA TODAY

AUSTIN -- The Texas Longhorns have officially named Rodney Terry the 26th head coach in the history of the men's basketball program, per an announcement Monday.

After Texas' season ended with a heartbreaking 88-81 loss to the Miami Hurricanes in the Elite Eight on Sunday, multiple reports were stating that the Longhorns were going to waste no time locking Terry in for the future.

The team has now officially done that after a season that saw him lead the Longhorns to their first Elite Eight since 2008, second-ever Big 12 Tournament title and the third-most wins in single-season program history. He's now been rewarded with a reported five-year deal.

Texas announced that a press conference will be held on Tuesday to officially announce Terry as head coach, though it's something many of the players had already seen as "official" long before Monday's announcement.

"He's our head coach," Texas forward Dillon Mitchell said after Sunday's loss. "No matter what his title is, he's our head coach forever. He forever will be our head coach. He should be given everything. ... RT deserves everything."

The Longhorns' magical season ended in heartbreak, but a new regime under Terry now brings some undoubted optimism after he proved he could both lead a winning program while being endearingly loved by his players in the process.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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