Starting the season ranked as one of the top 10 teams in the country, expectations were high for the Texas Men’s Basketball program this year. Equipped with sharp-shooting guards, versatile forwards and a notable coach, it looked like Texas was finally competing for more than a conference championship.

However, these plans quickly went south when head coach Chris Beard was arrested and charged with third-degree felony assault on a family member, which promptly resulted in his termination from UT.

When the news broke, many fans feared the worst for what once looked like a promising season ahead. Without an official head coach, it felt like the team was back at square one. However, out of the crisis, an unexpected star came to the rescue: Rodney Terry. After Chris Beard lost his title of “coach,” Rodney Terry stepped up to become the interim head coach of the team.

Terry didn’t just save the basketball program; he salvaged a big part of the University’s reputation through his accomplishments with the team. From winning the Big 12 Championship to making it to the Elite Eight in the National Championship, Rodney Terry’s leadership as head coach played the single biggest role in Texas Basketball’s success this season.

Before Terry had proven himself to be a valuable member of the coaching staff, there was a high level of fear on how Beard’s firing would impact the season’s performance, team chemistry and future recruiting efforts.

“You can’t ignore our success in March Madness this year,” business sophomore Dylan Rubin said. “But the reputation we left behind (with Chris Beard) definitely hurt us in a lot of ways.” 

Team performance is only one of the factors behind coaching successful college basketball programs. Coaches must also build team chemistry, recruit future players and act as role models off the court. When Chris Beard couldn’t do that, Rodney Terry stepped in to fill his shoes.

Recruiting is the process of convincing top high school basketball players to play for a specific college. This year, Texas sits 77th in the overall recruiting rankings. This is a significant drop from last year’s ranking of 3rd.

However, Rodney Terry’s impressive achievements in his short time as head coach helped mitigate further damage. Terry preserved two 5-star recruits from decommitting in the wake of Beard’s leave. Future college basketball stars do not want to join a program with unnecessary risk, especially one with coaching problems. Clearly, Terry saved much more than just the season record.

As soon as he stepped in, it was like the team never skipped a beat. Terry led the team to win the Big 12 Championship over Kansas, the No. 3 ranked team in the country at the time. Going into March Madness looking better than ever, the Longhorns made it to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2008, all thanks to Rodney Terry’s superb coaching efforts.

In late March, the University officially announced Rodney Terry as the new permanent head coach of the Men’s Basketball team in a five-year deal reportedly worth up to $15 million. Scott McConnell, assistant AD for media relations for Men’s Basketball, did not provide a comment but referred to Rodney Terry’s introductory press conference. 

“I want to say thank you to Coach Terry for making this decision easy,” UT President Jay Hartzell said in an introductory press conference.

Rodney Terry stepped in when few others could have, and he proved himself to be the leading force to save a vulnerable Texas basketball program. He didn’t just exponentiate the team’s odds at a National Championship, but he also saved the program’s fractured reputation through outstanding coaching and exemplary leadership.

Laky is a finance sophomore from Chicago, Illinois.