Rodney Terry on roster building without Chris Beard: ‘I recruited three starters on this roster’
Chris Beard might have been the head coach at Texas to start the 2022-23 season, but Rodney Terry wants to make it clear he didn’t build the roster alone. Terry was heavily involved in recruiting as an assistant even before taking over as interim head coach following Beard’s firing eight games into the season.
After having the interim tag removed to officially become the Longhorns head coach, Terry appeared on The Field of 68 podcast to address the role he played in the past and how it will help him going forward.
“Chris is a great coach and someone I respected for over 20 years in the business,” he said. “But again, Chris didn’t put this roster together by himself. We put this roster together. I’m not one to pat myself on the back, but I recruited three starters on this roster. Don’t get it twisted.”
Rodney Terry didn’t skip a beat after taking over for Chris Beard, leading Texas to a Big 12 Tournament title and Elite Eight appearance. The Longhorns finished 22-8 under Terry and their NCAA Tournament run was the farthest they have advanced in 15 seasons.
But while hopes are high coming off this past season, Terry knows there is work to be done to keep Texas among the country’s top teams. Top leading scorer Marcus Carr and forward Timmy Allen both exhausted their final year of eligibility in 2022-23. That in mind, Terry will have to look to find their replacements.
So far he’s done well in that regard, as the Longhorns 2023 class features two five-star prospects in Ron Holland and AJ Johnson. Texas owns the No. 3 class in the country according to the On3 Industry Rating, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
“It’s a team effort,” Terry said. “It’s always a team effort of putting a roster together. I’ve been at Texas basketball when we had the highest of highs. You can go back to the best five seasons in Texas basketball and I’ve been a part of ’em the entire time. I know the landscape. I know what it takes to be successful at this university. We’re gonna roll our sleeves up and get after it.
“We’re going to try to get the best guys not only in the state of Texas, but also around the country and internationally to come in and represent the university the right way both on and off the court. It’ll be a team effort in trying to put a roster together, but we’re here for no other reason than to try and win a national championship.”
With that kind of confidence, it will be exciting to see what the future holds for Texas under Terry.
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