Rodney Terry directed Texas to the NCAA Tournament in each of his three years as head coach, but that reportedly wasn’t enough to save his job.
Shortly after the Longhorns lost 86-80 to Xavier in a First Four game in Dayton, Ohio, on Wednesday, two media outlets, Horns247 and The Field of 68, reported that Terry will be fired.
Texas (19-16) squandered a 10-point second-half lead against the Musketeers, capping a season in which the Longhorns had a 6-12 record in the rugged Southeastern Conference.
Terry owns a 62-37 record as the boss in Austin. He previously served as a Longhorns assistant from 2002-03 to 2010-11 and again in 2021-22. He got the top job on an interim basis when Chris Beard was suspended for an alleged domestic violence incident during the 2022-23 season, and Terry was made permanent coach in March 2023 after Beard was fired.
Asked about his job status after the loss to Xavier, Terry said, “I’ve been in Texas 13 years, and there’s not a year I haven’t made the NCAA Tournament or been a part of the NCAA Tournament. I have a lot of pride in terms of being a Longhorn.
“I love being in Texas. I don’t think anyone (that has) been a part of Texas basketball has been more successful than myself. I’ve been a part of the top five seasons in this program’s history. …
“Our guys get a lot of credit for putting themselves in a great position to be here tonight. At the end of the day, it’s in God’s hands.”
Terry, 56, was the head coach at Fresno State from 2011-12 to 2017-18, leading the Bulldogs to one NCAA Tournament appearance, and he led UTEP from 2018-19 to 2020-21. Overall, he owns a 225-193 record as a head coach.
–Field Level Media
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