Rodney Terry named to Naismith Coach of the Year late season watch list
In the time since Chris Beard was indefinitely suspended on December 12, interim head coach Rodney Terry has led the Longhorns to a 13-5 record. Included in that record is a 9-4 mark in Big 12 Conference play, good for a tie for first entering the end of February. Thanks to those efforts, Terry was named on Friday to the late season watch list for the 2023 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year award by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
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Since taking over, Terry has top 20 wins over No. 17 TCU, No. 11 Baylor, and No. 7 Kansas State. Terry was one of three Big 12 coaches named to the watch list along with Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger and Kansas State’s Jerome Tang.
Terry, who was previously an assistant under former head coach Rick Barnes from 2002-2011, has almost 30 years of experience in college coaching. After his time in Austin, he became head coach at Fresno State and UTEP and compiled a record of 163-156 with one NCAA Tournament appearance and one NIT appearance. He joined Beard’s staff ahead of the 2021-22 season.
The Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year award will be narrowed to four finalists on Monday, March 20.
The final round includes an opportunity for fans to participate through the Naismith Awards Fan Vote presented by Jersey Mike’s, which accounts for 5% of the total vote and runs from March 21-28. The winner will be announced on Sunday, April 2 at the Naismith Awards Brunch presented by Frost Bank at the Final Four in Houston, per a UT release.
Texas takes on the Oklahoma Sooners in the Moody Center at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The contest will be streamed on Big 12 Now/ESPN+.
2023 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List
| Coach | School |
| Randy Bennett | Saint Mary’s |
| Jeff Capel | Pittsburgh |
| Chris Collins | Northwestern |
| Mick Cronin | UCLA |
| Dennis Gates | Missouri |
| Pat Kelsey | College of Charleston |
| Dusty May | Florida Atlantic |
| Sean Miller | Xavier |
| Nate Oats | Alabama |
| T.J. Otzelberger | Iowa State |
| Matt Painter | Purdue |
| Kelvin Sampson | Houston |
| Shaka Smart | Marquette |
| Jerome Tang | Kansas State |
| Rodney Terry | TEXAS |
