UTEP’s Rodney Terry returning to Texas

Another head coach is taking an assistant coaching position with the Texas Longhorns under Chris Beard, as Rodney Terry is leaving the UTEP Miners for a spot on Beard’s bench, according to a report from Chip Brown of Horns247. Stadium’s Jeff Goodman confirmed the news. Hours later, Terry released a statement on his decision to step down in El Paso and return to Austin.

Terry was connected to the job since Beard was hired by the Longhorns last Thursday.

Beard has already hired UT-Arlington head coach Chris Ogden to return to his alma mater, as well as bringing Texas Tech assistant Ulric Maligi to Austin as Texas Tech elevated Beard assistant Mark Adams to the head role in Lubbock.

Terry just completed his third season in El Paso with a 12-12 record and is 37-48 overall with the Miners. Prior to coaching UTEP, Terry was the head coach at Fresno State for seven seasons, compiling a 126-108 record and appearing once in the NCAA Tournament.

A native of Angleton, Terry played college basketball at St. Edward’s in Austin and then became an assistant coach there in 1990. After three different high school coaching stops, Terry returned to the college game with a job at Baylor. In 2002, Rick Barnes hired him at Texas, where Terry remained until 2011 when he took the Fresno State job.

During his time on the Forty Acres, Terry earned a reputation as a strong recruiter, helping the Longhorns land top talent like guard Cory Joseph, forward Tristan Thompson, and forward Gary Johnson.