One man’s misfortune is another man’s happiness, and in Austin, Chris Beard’s fall this season has led to his assistant’s rise. Rodney Terry head of the basketball program Texas.
Propelled as interim coach for the rest of the season in mid-December, when Chris Beard was suspended and later dismissed after being charged with domestic violence, “RT” has passed the test with flying colors for the past four months and was therefore logically rewarded yesterday, his birthday, with a full-time position, without a temporary label, and a five-year contract, according to ESPN.
Under Rodney Terry, whose leadership qualities helped keep the Texas ship afloat after the Chris Beard episode and the ensuing media turmoil, the Longhorns have effectively won 22 of their last 30 games, including winning the tournament conference Big 12 by crushing Kansas in the final, before obtaining a #2 seed at March Madness and signing a very good course until the “Elite Eight”.
A sacred accomplishment for a “temporary”, whose tenure is therefore amply deserved.
Note that the two future “freshmen” from Texas, Ron Holland (#6 of the 2023 promotion) and AJ Johnson (#18), have confirmed that they want to play for the Longhorns next season despite the change of coach. Logical because even when Chris Beard was there, it was Rodney Terry who had led the charge in their recruitment.
