Before we officially move on to the Sean Miller era I would be remiss not to share a few parting thoughts on Rodney Terry.
I'll start here:
What he did with that Elite 8 team was nothing less than exceptional.
Beard's team this, Beard's team that. You don't simply waltz into the Elite 8. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Rodney Terry was the man for the moment.
I'll always remember the way he loved his players, the way his players rallied behind him. I'll remember the way he saved basketball for Dylan Disu.
Texas was right to move on from Terry. The program was stale and the coaching just wasn't good enough. But make no mistake, he WAS setup to fail. Middling NIL support is tough to overcome for ANY coach. And Sean Miller, hopefully, won't face that same challenge.
For RT to succeed at Texas he was going to have to be so exceptional that he could completely flip the narrative and prove to the entire fanbase and the administration that he could, at some point, deliver a national championship.
And, as a head coach, Rodney Terry was not exceptional. At times he was good, but never exceptional.
All that to say, I think Rodney Terry deserves the utmost respect. He was put in a nearly impossible situation and handled himself with class, delivered some magical moments and ultimately delivered 4 tournament wins in 2 years, which is more than the previous 12 years combined.
It's been a rough go for him on this app but I sincerely hope Texas fans remember him fondly and show him the respect and admiration I believe he deserves.
I will always remember him for moments like this:
Find The Window
Being an elite cutter is a skill that translates to every level. Cutting for us can mean to the paint and on the perimeter finding windows that create closeout situations.