Texas Basketball: Rodney Terry is a better option than John Calipari

There were some interesting updates that dropped this week concerning the coaching situation for the Texas basketball program. Despite interim head coach Rodney Terry leading Texas to new heights in the Big 12 in the midst of an extremely difficult situation this season, there are still some rumors flying around that connect this men’s hoops program to the longtime Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, there is interest from “both sides” to some degree if Texas does not decide to retain Terry following the conclusion of the 2022-23 season. But this report from Feb. 23 on ESPN does mention that the Texas coaching search “hasn’t advanced too far” in the last few weeks.

Another important nugget here is that it sounds like the pressure that was once on Calipari just a month or two ago has cooled off a good bit in recent weeks. I think it’s important to say that Calipari’s success (or lack thereof) at Kentucky down the stretch this season will play a big role in what his fate ultimately holds for the 2023 offseason.

While the results that Calipari and the Wildcats have produced on the court of late are more positive than over the course of the prior 18 months or so, there is still some heat on his seat in Lexington. If Kentucky flat lines during the postseason, especially if it has an early exit in the NCAA Tournament, that heat will be turned right back up on Calipari’s seat heading into the offseason.

It’s clear that the rumors connecting Calipari and Texas will very much still be in flux over the next month or so. By our understanding of the situation, Texas won’t be making any big moves in the coaching search until the offseason.

And Calipari’s fate at Kentucky won’t be decided until the postseason.

Texas basketball should consider Rodney Terry as the next HC over John Calipari

However, I am of the opinion that Calipari isn’t the right option for Texas anyway. In fact, the level of success that Terry has found with the Longhorns in Big 12 play this season I believe warrants some optimism regarding his long-term future on the Forty Acres.

If nothing else, I personally believe that Terry is a better option to be the next full-time Texas men’s basketball head coach than Calipari for a few reasons.

Terry’s track record of success this season is promising

The aforementioned point that Texas has found great success in the Big 12 this season is a major positive when comparing the pros and cons of taking the interim tag off for Terry next offseason. The fact that Terry and the Longhorns are neck and neck with head coach Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks in the Big 12 standings with just a few games to go on the regular season docket shows that this team can hold its own through the most difficult of circumstances.

We’ve also seen some pretty amazing coaching adjustments and locker room management by Terry and this staff in the last couple of months. Texas is 15-5 on the season under Terry as the interim head coach and an impressive 11-4 in Big 12 play.

The way this team has rallied around Terry and how he’s gotten this team to close out key games this season is huge. He’s done a tremendous job as Texas has the best net rating in conference play of any team in the Big 12 this year, including the Jayhawks.

Terry has also led the Longhorns to a record of 7-0 in games decided by five or fewer points this season.

It’s worth noting that Terry is accomplishing all of this with the Longhorns in the toughest and deepest conference in the entire country.

Meanwhile, Calipari has led Kentucky to a record of 19-9 on the season and 10-5 in the SEC. Kentucky currently ranks sixth in the SEC in net rating and isn’t even ranked in the latest AP Poll.

I’d like to think that if Terry can accomplish all of these feats in the best conference in college hoops that he could take this team to even greater heights in the SEC. At the same time, it gives me hesitation that Calipari is coaching up a slightly above-average team in a conference that is somewhere between the second and fourth-best in college basketball (depending on what you think of the Big Ten and Big East).

Holding the 2023 class together

One of the biggest benefits that the Longhorns could get out of retaining Terry following the conclusion of this season would be the way that this team could rally around him next year.

It’s clear that the current team supports Terry and this staff, despite all the turbulence that has occurred off the court this season.

This quote from senior guard Marcus Carr from a recent press conference really says it all about the way that this locker room has responded to Terry in the last couple of months this season.

"“We’re all thankful to be alive, and the coach does a good job of, before we even start talking about basketball, just making sure we understand where we’re at. We’re all grateful to just be here and be breathing every single day and thankful to have the opportunity of life. So, coach definitely puts that energy into us. And I definitely think it spreads throughout the whole team.”"

We have also seen continued support from Texas’ two elite five-star signees in the 2023 class for Terry and this staff in the last six weeks or so. Duncanville forward Ron Holland and Southern California Academy combo guard AJ Johnson could have already requested releases from Texas since former head coach Chris Beard was fired last month.

But they have stuck around and supported the Longhorns players and coaches in the last couple of months.

Better options

A weird part about the Calipari to Texas discussion for me has to do with the quality of him as a candidate. Compared to the rest of the options that were mentioned in the last couple of months as potential Texas coaching candidates, I don’t find the idea of hiring Calipari all that appealing.

I get saying that there are better options out there than Calipari isn’t too relevant when directly comparing the resumes of him and Terry. But this is relevant when talking about Calipari as a candidate in the grander scope of the coaching search next offseason.

There are some other candidates that have found more success on the court in the last few years than Calipari. Potential home-run candidates such as former Villanova head coach Jay Wright, Baylor’s Scott Drew, and/or Purdue’s Matt Painter have all found more success on the court in the last half-decade or so than Calipari at Kentucky.

And while I do get that Calipari is still one of the best recruiters in the entire country, there are questions regarding player development in the last few years. Kentucky has continuously reeled in top 10 ranked recruiting classes in the nation while underachieving in the SEC and the NCAA Tournament.

Heading into the offseason, Texas athletic director Chris del Conte should still have the likes of Wright and Drew on his call list ahead of Calipari.