Rodney Terry staying present as Texas acting head coach

When Rodney Terry joined Chris Beard’s staff at Texas in 2021, he didn’t leave his role as head coach at UTEP just to be another assistant coach. Beard pitched Terry on the idea of being “co-head coach,” with Beard overseeing the offense while Terry managed the defense.

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The official titles didn’t reflect that, but those were the responsibilities. Terry, a St. Edward’s graduate with head coaching stints at Fresno State and UTEP, wore plenty of hats on Beard’s staff during his second go-round on the Longhorn bench in Austin.

Once Beard was suspended on December 12, Terry had to take over and not just be co-head coach but rather acting head coach. He guided Texas to an overtime win over Rice later that day, and has recorded a 6-1 record with a 2-1 mark in Big 12 play since assuming his new role.

Not having Beard, who was fired for cause on January 5, has been a challenge for both players and coaches alike. However, they know there isn’t another program in the Big 12 or around the country who will shed a tear for them.

“I always tell guys when you’re going through adversity, you’ve got to try to get better as you go through it,” Terry said Monday. “Don’t sit there and feel sorry for yourself. No one is going to feel sorry for us. You have a job to do, and you have to continue to do your job at the highest level.”

Terry has guided the team and reiterated to a veteran-led group that despite Beard’s absence, Texas’ overall goals and dreams are still on the table. The next test for the Longhorns is TCU, who comes to town for a top 25 matchup in the Moody Center on Wednesday night.

Texas isn’t looking ahead or looking back at what could have been had Beard stayed in his role. Terry won’t let his team do that.

“I live in the moment,” Terry said. “I’m big on preaching to our guys about living where our feet are.”

Longhorn forward Brock Cunningham has been through a coaching transition at Texas before. He committed to play for Shaka Smart, which he did for several seasons before Smart took the Marquette job.

While things within the program obviously change during a coaching switch, Cunningham has tried his best to keep things as regular as possible through a dedication to an overall cause.

“For me, the process hasn’t changed through Shaka Smart leaving the program and now Beard,” Cunningham said Monday. “Back in high school, I chose the university and my day-to-day has been the same; just trying to give practice and games everything I have.”

Even so, coaching changes aren’t easy. Most players on the roster came here with the thought they were going to play for Beard. Those who did that prior to last season and stayed at Texas also likely did so because they wanted to play for Beard.

Texas guard Marcus Carr said there was shock and surprise when the firing happened. Per Carr, members of the Longhorn basketball program found out about it at the same time as the general public.

Since it was out of their control, it wasn’t an area Carr or other veterans let the team place their focus. “Control what you can control” was an oft-repeated line on Monday between Carr, Terry, Cunningham, and Timmy Allen.

“At the end of the day, we’re still a team, we still have goals that we want to get to, and we still have to work towards that,” Carr said.

What Terry has controlled since last Thursday is the direction of the Texas basketball program, with specific emphasis on his area of expertise. After the Longhorns allowed 116 points to Kansas State last week, Terry led a defensively-focused practice on Thursday. A ball was rarely used.

He even got involved in drills, putting his own body on the line.

“I’m not going to ask you guys to do anything I wouldn’t do,” Terry said he told his team. “We had a charge drill right off the bat, and I took a charge right off the bat. We’ve got to have more charges guys, and this is what we got to do.”

He even joked he later dove for a loose ball and hurt his rib a little, laughing it off by saying “the floor is our friend.”

The next time out for the Longhorns after that practice, they held the Oklahoma State Cowboys to just 46 points in Gallagher-Iba Arena. That defensive focus that Terry was brought to Texas to coordinate was on full display in Stillwater, Okla.

“I think Coach Terry has always done a good job since the jump since last year, coaching the way he knows how to and inspiring us,” Allen said. “He’s always been someone I can lean on and go to for advice for basketball information. It’s nothing new for us. He’s slid right in and done a great job.”

While coaching rumors are already circling not even a week after Beard’s termination, Terry isn’t worried about that outside noise. He was asked Monday if he thinks he’s auditioning for the job, and responded again that his focus on living in the moment. He admitted that’s something he might not have said earlier in his career.

“We’ve got a great team to coach,” Terry said. “I’ve got a great staff working behind me. I love the opportunity we have with this team, where we still can go, and how much better we can get. That’s all I’m focused on right now.”

Allen said Terry has slid into his new role “flawlessly.” There’s still more season left to go for Texas, including 16 challenging contests in January, February, and early March.

As Terry mentioned, adversity has struck, but there’s no time for him or anyone involved with the program to look back.

“It’s just next man up,” Cunningham said. “Coach Beard is out, RT fills the gap.”