Rodney Terry discusses his adjustment to becoming interim head coach at Texas

While the Chris Beard situation plays out for Texas, Rodney Terry is going to attempt to be a stabilizing force for the Longhorns.

As Beard deals with the legal situation that’s come to light over recent days, Terry was named acting head coach of the team. Speaking with the media, the Longhorns coach discussed his adjustment to the role, as well as shedding some light on the situation.

“When I was brought here, I was brought here in an associate role as the head coach, but we talked about being a co-head coach and that sort of thing. So you know, we’ve worked together. We’ve been a great team together. I work with the defense, he works with the offense. I game-plan for every ball game, so every ball game I’m closely involved with,” stated Terry. “In terms of a timeline, I mean from the time I woke up this morning there was something that we were having to deal with a little bit. We obviously had a chance to address our team and talk to them a little bit about what was going on, as well.

“It wasn’t until shoot around that a decision was made, that I was going to be the one to lead our guys tonight.”

Alas, Texas was able to find a hard fought victory over Rice with Terry leading the way, while the black cloud regarding Beard’s absence loomed large over their head. Regardless, the Longhorns have immense expectations for the 2022-23 season, and they’re trying to go as far as they can.

Time will tell how everything plays out, but Rodney Terry is going to do everything he can to keep Texas on track.

Rodney Terry looking forward to Texas being able to recharge after chaotic week

It’s been a chaotic week for Rodney Terry and Texas, but the Longhorns acting head coach is looking forward to recharging, both for himself and for his team.

The legal situation regarding Chris Beard has thrown a wrench into what’s been a more than promising season for Texas, but Terry has kept the focus on basketball. The Longhorns have kept winning regardless, and the coach spoke about the chance to rest the bodies and minds of his players. 

“We’ve had a unique day, a very difficult day. Our guys have played 80 minutes of basketball over the last three days. They’ve earned a day off, they’ve earned a day off to try and mentally and physically regroup and recharge a little bit,” stated Terry. “We’ll let those guys get away a little bit tomorrow. We’re finishing up our semester, a lot of our guys are done academically right now. So they’re going to have a chance just to kind of recharge. We challenged those guys for 80 hard minutes already.”

Regardless, Terry wanted his team to earn a day off, and that’s exactly what they did during their victory over Rice.

“You go into the game, and it really wasn’t until halftime, that I said, ‘Hey guys, we’ve got a chance to earn a day off.’ There are a lot of hard working people in this country. We like to think that we are a blue collar program that works extremely hard everyday. I really challenged those guys. Earn your day off tomorrow,” added Terry. “Where you don’t have to come in tomorrow. We’re going to take a day away from everything and just let you guys mentally and physically get yourselves back, recharge a little bit.

“Our guys had finals, they were finishing things up academically and we had 80 good minutes of basketball infront of us. So we need this time right now, kind of just to recharge.”

It’s going to be fascinating to watch what happens to Texas over the remainder of the season, but the one thing in the Longhorns’ control is how they play on the court. Rodney Terry will try to keep his players’ minds there, but time will tell what becomes of their season.