Breaking down Texas’ reported full-time hiring of Rodney Terry

Following Texas’ loss to Miami in the Elite Eight on Sunday, reports immediately began to circulate that the school would bump interim head coach Rodney Terry up to full-time status. Terry was in his second stint as an assistant with the program prior to taking over as the interim following Chris Beard’s firing in January.

Below, we’ll provide a grade for the hire on both ends should this move be finalized.

Grade for Texas: A+

This move was a no brainer for the Texas brass considering what Terry had done for the last three months. He successfully kept the train on the track for the Longhorns in the aftermath of the Beard controversy and had them competing at the top of the toughest conference in the country. His Longhorns then obliterated Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament title game and were on the doorstep of reaching the Final Four for just the fourth time in program history.

His credentials for being the head man in Austin extends beyond just this season. He served as a UT assistant under Rick Barnes during the 2000’s and helped recruit the likes of Texas greats DJ Augustin, Tristan Thompson, and some guy named Kevin Durant. On top of his recruiting chops, his players love him and that was apparent after every victory they achieved over the past three weeks.

This was a no brainer for Texas.

Grade for Terry: A+

As a Houston area native, Terry will take over at the state’s flagship program and get to prove himself at the highest stages of college basketball. He’ll be in charge when Texas makes the switch to the SEC and there’s potential for the Horns to walk into that league as a behemoth if he’s able to continue the momentum from this season.