Dick Vitale Calls Out Texas Athletic Board for ‘Lack of Class’ Over Rodney Terry
Texas men’s basketball coach Rodney Terry has done something that a Longhorns’ basketball coach hasn’t in 15 years by leading UT to the Sweet 16.
Thrust into being the head coach of a Top 10 team back in December, Terry has taken Texas to new heights after the dismissal of Chris Beard. Terry’s Longhorns had the second most Quad 1 wins in the nation this year, trailing only Kansas, and is one win away from advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2008.
Despite his success though, Terry is still fighting for his job as the interim tag is still attached to his title with just two wins separating him from a Final Four appearance. So, what gives?
The word on the street is, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte doesn’t want to give Terry the job. Just before the NCAA Tournament started, Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 said that Terry and the Longhorns need to make a deep run in March for him to secure the full-time gig.
“They’re going to swing for some of the big boys, if they don’t hire Rodney Terry,” Goodman said. “If Rodney Terry goes deep, they’re going to have to give it to Rodney Terry. They don’t want to. Chris Del Conte doesn’t want to ultimately.
“But he may have no choice if Rodney Terry goes deep, second weekend or beyond. If not, they’re going to try to swing for the fences.”
Now, college basketball legend Dick Vitale is standing up in Terry’s corner, as he feels that the interim head coach has done more than enough to earn the job.
Vitale has a point. Sure, wait and see how things play out in the Conference Tournament, but Terry won that, he got the Longhorns a No. 2 seed (highest since 2008), and he led them to a Sweet 16 appearance.
His name isn’t John Calipari or Kelvin Sampson, but Terry has proven that he is more than worthy of the Texas job after not just holding things together in a time of need, but helping this team thrive in the face of adversity.
How Texas’ athletic board, and more specifically athletic director, is handling this situation is preposterous and Vitale is absolutely right to call them out.
