Texas Basketball: 3 bold predictions for Year 1 of the Rodney Terry era
By Shane Black
Texas basketball has a new full-time leader, and his name is Rodney Terry.
Terry inked a 5-year/$15-million deal on Mar 27, flipping Coach Terry’s interim title into the fifth head men’s basketball coach at the University of Texas since 1989.
What Terry did last season was nothing short of remarkable. Leading the Longhorns to their first Elite Eight since 2006 and winning the third most games in a season in program history made him the clear choice to lead this program going forward.
Despite all the deserved praise over the last three months, college athletics is a “what have you done for me lately” business, and Terry, fair or not, will be subjected to that more than anyone, given the circumstances that led him to get the job.
The Horns are set for a pretty big roster turnover, as four of their nine rotation players from last season have exhausted their collegiate eligibility. Four others have yet to decide their fate for next season. Currently, Brock Cunningham is the only rotational piece set to return.
Bold predictions in Rodney Terry’s first year as Texas basketball head coach
Fair or not, how Coach Terry and company closed out the 2022/23 season has moved the bar for what Texas fans expect from this program. In today’s day and age of NIL and the transfer portal, the Texas brass and fans alike believe the Horns have the capacity to trot out a top-ten team year in and year out.
It is never too early to look toward next basketball season. Here are three bold predictions I have for Coach Terry and Texas basketball.