UT's next basketball coach - discussion/debate

[shadow_operative 15932]

my boy DD's got bunches of hunches.

[SL Xpress 7505]

50 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Only correcting you because I didn't remember little rock ever making a sweet sixteen and had to look it up. 

It was a good correction. I'm glad you posted it. I'm only kidding.

Honestly, I need corrections more than I'd prefer. I'm not trying to mislead anyone. The point is still the same, but R32 is not the Sweet Sixteen. 

[Rickylovesweed 14252]

The funniest thing about the Terry discussion is Texas has the highest rated adjusted offense since 2008. Donewald is also heavily responsible for portal recruiting.

No offense to Terry but I care more about Donewald. This guy seems like the real deal. 

Edited March 6, 2023 by Rickylovesweed

[SL Xpress 7505]

11 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Well, Gerry commented on the national On3 report about Donovan and said he was laughed at   when he checked around to see if the rumor had legs. Said he talked to someone close to Donovan and Donovan was not interested.

I trust Gerry. Most people are going to throw names around knowing they'll never be held accountable for them. They have content to put out and they need clicks. Gerry likes to speculate about things as much as anyone, but more in private than in public. He won't throw it out there like he's "hearing things." He'll also have really good access to the program if Terry stays as the head coach. Gerry's not one to push for Terry because of that. But it does mean he's not going to bad mouth him, because that would be stupid. 

I say this a lot, but we're very fortunate to have Gerry covering the program. 

[SL Xpress 7505]

3 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

The funniest thing about the Terry discussion is Texas has the highest rated adjusted offense since 2008. Donewald is also heavily responsible for portal recruiting.

No offense to Terry but I care more about Donewald. This guy seems like the real deal. 

When it's said he's responsible for portal recruiting, that could mean anything. He's the one who has to set up shifts among the staff to monitor it 24/7. I don't know.

I do know Beard was the chief recruiter for this program in the way few head coaches are. I also know that of the assistants Terry was the main off campus guy, especially after Maligi left for Kansas State. Howard was a disappointment almost from the get go. 

In terms of the portal, Terry was the main guy for pretty much every transfer. Certainly Hunter. I don't actually know who the main guy was for Rice, but I did hear Rice credit Terry one time in a preseason interview. 

I don't say this as a defense of Terry per se, because I'd prefer someone else, but I want to be fair to the guy and give him his due. He works hard, and he's been a great person to have on staff. No doubt about it. But I want someone who will be better than Penders and Barnes, and I do not believe for one second Terry's stint as a head coach at Texas will be as good as those two. I mean, to be honest, I want someone who will retire at Texas as a hall of fame coach. Or at least has the potential for it. That's a really high bar, but that should be the bar. 

Donewald was supposed to provide international connections. Not saying he hasn't. Maybe he has and they just haven't panned out, yet. Getting foreign players to the US (I'm referring to non-Canadian for the most part) takes a ridiculous amount of effort. A lot of times it's almost as much luck as anything else that leads to the right connection. 

One of the things I like about Tommy Lloyd is he seems to have a real knack for it. 

I also have questions about how much of this staff sticks around when Beard gets another job. There's going to be some losses for sure regardless of who the next head coach is. 

[SL Xpress 7505]

1 hour ago, Hookem2147 said:

BTW, the number I was told on annual salary is $6m per year has been thrown around as a possibility. 

For reference, here's an outdated list from a couple of years ago:

https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog/ncaab/top-college-basketball-head-coach-salaries-bm10/#:~:text=Who is the Highest-Paid,second-highest-paid coach.

Spoiler

Highest-Paid College Basketball Coaches

HEAD COACH	SCHOOL	SALARY (2021-22)	BUYOUT
Bill Self	Kansas	$10,184,282	$5,410,000
John Calipari	Kentucky	$8,602,306	$47,718,750
Tom Izzo	Michigan St.	$8,341,321	$7,432,454
Jay Wright	Villanova	$6,192,252	N/A
Chris Beard	Texas	$5,255,000	$21,000,000
Rick Barnes	Tennessee	$5,200,000	$23,137,500
Jamie Dixon	TCU	$4,347,975	N/A
Chris Mack	Louisville	$4,257,494	N/A
Bob Huggins	West Virginia	$4,150,000	$4,688,750
Eric Musselman	Arkansas	$4,000,000	$11,433,333
Buzz Williams	Texas A&M	$4,000,000	$12,933,333
Bruce Pearl	Auburn	$3,825,321	$8,095,833
Dana Altman	Oregon	$3,759,500	$19,331,781
Mick Cronin	UCLA	$3,700,000	$7,900,000
Tony Bennett	Virginia	$3,648,019	$18,075,701
Jeff Capel	Pittsburgh	$3,533,438	N/A
Scott Drew	Baylor	$3,511,477	N/A
Juwan Howard	Michigan	$3,500,000	$5,000,000
Brad Underwood	Illinois	$3,500,000	$16,816,667

 

[jimmyjazz 45679]

Question regarding RT's pay:  I know he got a big bump recently, is that compensation utterly out of the realm of reasonableness for a top assistant?  In other words, from a fiscal perspective, is it head coach or nothing for him?

Some guys don't need to be the big dog.  That said, I have yet to meet many that would voluntarily dial back their compensation to stay on board at any company.

[Slacks 6807]

On 2/19/2023 at 12:42 PM, Pancho said:

No one is saying they’d balk at a FF with Terry. Some of y’all have no reading and critical thinking skills, which is insane.

He said "it seems like..."

Which it does at times.

 

[Tex-19 2871]

1 hour ago, Rickylovesweed said:

Based on what?

Every CDC hire has been a coach with years of proven success at a P5 school. That's the complete opposite of Terry. I swear some of you just want to be miserable. Terry is not going to be hired at Texas unless something crazy happens like a final 4 run. 

To be fair, hes never had an interim coach lead a team to a top 10 finish. This situation isnt the same as hiring RT from the outside to be hc.

[LTtxfan 49075]

4 hours ago, Deej said:

Cedric Golden on Jeff Ward today pushing hard for Rodney Terry. 

 

AAS writers...

 

Edited March 6, 2023 by LTtxfan

[HookEm 2450]

I haven't been that interested in the speculation about Terry because the season has still been underway and it was pointless.  That will all change within the next two weeks.  Either we will be on our way to the Sweet 16 and the rumbling to hire Terry will start to really pick up (and get exponentially louder with each win). 

Or we will lose the first weekend and his door will be closed forever.

Given that we have only one Final Four in my lifetime and it was 20 years ago, I'm rooting like crazy that we get there - even if it means we wind up with Terry.  It isn't out of the question that this team could win it all if our shots are falling.  We can definitely beat anybody in the field.

[Rickylovesweed 14252]

1 hour ago, Tex-19 said:

To be fair, hes never had an interim coach lead a team to a top 10 finish. This situation isnt the same as hiring RT from the outside to be hc.

They were a top 10 team when Terry took over. It's not like Terry took over a bad team and turned them into a top 10 team. This team was already really good and to Terry's credit he has stabilized a tricky situation. 

BUT any wise AD can recognize that Terry has never built a top 10 team, has never won big with a team he's built, and certainly hasn't done it in a power conference. 

 

[The Ace of Aces 5158]

2 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

BTW, the number I was told on annual salary is $6m per year has been thrown around as a possibility. 

For reference, here's an outdated list from a couple of years ago:

https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog/ncaab/top-college-basketball-head-coach-salaries-bm10/#:~:text=Who is the Highest-Paid,second-highest-paid coach.

  Hide contents

Highest-Paid College Basketball Coaches

HEAD COACH	SCHOOL	SALARY (2021-22)	BUYOUT
Bill Self	Kansas	$10,184,282	$5,410,000
John Calipari	Kentucky	$8,602,306	$47,718,750
Tom Izzo	Michigan St.	$8,341,321	$7,432,454
Jay Wright	Villanova	$6,192,252	N/A
Chris Beard	Texas	$5,255,000	$21,000,000
Rick Barnes	Tennessee	$5,200,000	$23,137,500
Jamie Dixon	TCU	$4,347,975	N/A
Chris Mack	Louisville	$4,257,494	N/A
Bob Huggins	West Virginia	$4,150,000	$4,688,750
Eric Musselman	Arkansas	$4,000,000	$11,433,333
Buzz Williams	Texas A&M	$4,000,000	$12,933,333
Bruce Pearl	Auburn	$3,825,321	$8,095,833
Dana Altman	Oregon	$3,759,500	$19,331,781
Mick Cronin	UCLA	$3,700,000	$7,900,000
Tony Bennett	Virginia	$3,648,019	$18,075,701
Jeff Capel	Pittsburgh	$3,533,438	N/A
Scott Drew	Baylor	$3,511,477	N/A
Juwan Howard	Michigan	$3,500,000	$5,000,000
Brad Underwood	Illinois	$3,500,000	$16,816,667

 

Isn’t UT around 15th nationally re: basketball budget? I swear recent data I saw had us around there. FWIW Marquette was top 10.,

[SL Xpress 7505]

49 minutes ago, The Ace of Aces said:

Isn’t UT around 15th nationally re: basketball budget? I swear recent data I saw had us around there. FWIW Marquette was top 10.,

I don't know the answer to that. I would think the budget for Texas went way up last year with all the staff Beard was able to hire. But I don't know that.

[LTtxfan 49075]

2 hours ago, Rickylovesweed said:

They were a top 10 team when Terry took over. It's not like Terry took over a bad team and turned them into a top 10 team. This team was already really good and to Terry's credit he has stabilized a tricky situation. 

BUT any wise AD can recognize that Terry has never built a top 10 team, has never won big with a team he's built, and certainly hasn't done it in a power conference. 

 

 

RT should not be the Head Coach at Texas next season... appreciate RT holding it together this year.  🤘

[Teryor 4437]

Nothing new, but Fraschilla said on Mark Titus's pod today that he doesn't expect RT to be considered for the role unless he makes the Final 4, and even then he expects CDC to swing big. 

[cochamps 1879]

6 hours ago, Tex-19 said:

To be fair, hes never had an interim coach lead a team to a top 10 finish. This situation isnt the same as hiring RT from the outside to be hc.

There are several posts like this on this thread, but didn’t CDC hire the assistant men’s tennis coach after Michael Center was fired?  Granted we won the National Championship that year, but it seems pretty similar to me.

Btw, I’m NOT advocating for RT.

[shadow_operative 15932]

it's so simple it's stupid, and yet we still haven't reached a consensus. 

Q: when we replaced Shaka, was rodney terry a candidate? was he on the list? would the suggestion of interviewing him have been laughable? 

answer those questions and then explain to me why he should be a serious candidate wife the Texas HC job going forward.

[Rickylovesweed 14252]

53 minutes ago, cochamps said:

There are several posts like this on this thread, but didn’t CDC hire the assistant men’s tennis coach after Michael Center was fired?  Granted we won the National Championship that year, but it seems pretty similar to me.

Btw, I’m NOT advocating for RT.

He won a Big 12 championship and a national title as the interim coach. If Terry were to accomplish that sure he would get the job. 

Also, Berque was a pretty good head coach at Michigan before becoming an assistant at Texas. 

[SL Xpress 7505]

1 hour ago, shadow_operative said:

it's so simple it's stupid, and yet we still haven't reached a consensus. 

Q: when we replaced Shaka, was rodney terry a candidate? was he on the list? would the suggestion of interviewing him have been laughable? 

answer those questions and then explain to me why he should be a serious candidate wife the Texas HC job going forward.

Um...it's the internet.

There were people saying Charlie Strong needed more time. Put enough people in a room and all kinds of opinions get expressed. We're not a hung jury. It's okay if people decide they'd like Terry to be the head coach. I'm appreciative of him as well. I just don't want him as the next head coach. But we're not going to get a unanimous position on this. And that's okay. 

[dogbreath 431]

The case for Terry is to pay the assistants on staff where they won’t leave and pay a new one who can recruit and be the defensive coordinator. Then you NIL the shit out of transfers. 

id rather have a home run hire but that’s the way to go if you keep Terry. 

[MotownHorn 1742]

7 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

it's so simple it's stupid, and yet we still haven't reached a consensus. 

Q: when we replaced Shaka, was rodney terry a candidate? was he on the list? would the suggestion of interviewing him have been laughable? 

answer those questions and then explain to me why he should be a serious candidate wife the Texas HC job going forward.

This is such a silly take that ignores all reality that has occurred since we replaced Shaka

When we replaced Shaka, had Chris Beard had to choke a bitch? And been arrested with a 3rd degree felony? Had RT led Texas to an excellent record as head coach? 

Things change. Life happens. You don’t make decisions today based on circumstances from 2 years ago. That’s not how it works.

[shadow_operative 15932]

7 minutes ago, MotownHorn said:

This is such a silly take that ignores all reality that has occurred since we replaced Shaka

When we replaced Shaka, had Chris Beard had to choke a bitch? And been arrested with a 3rd degree felony? Had RT led Texas to an excellent record as head coach? 

Things change. Life happens. You don’t make decisions today based on circumstances from 2 years ago. That’s not how it works.

RT quit his job as a HC to become an assistant under Beard. you think that's the kind of guy that Texas is looking for to replace one of the 3-4 best coaches in cbb? you think kentucky is looking at him to replace Cal? you think ucla will hire him if we take cronin? come on man. if RT was a million miles away from being considered for the job two years ago, then how does him voluntarily taking a demotion somehow make him a candidate this time around?

[Prepuce of Doom 21035]

17 hours ago, Hookem2147 said:

 

There is no question this job will be able to swing for the fences. One name that we are hearing that is building momentum is Billy Donovan. Donovan is currently the head coach of the Chicago Bulls with a 46-36 record, good for second in the Central Division. This is his seventh year coaching in the NBA, and only one season as he had a record below .500.

The Bulls are currently 29-36 and are in a dogfight for a distant third place in their division. 

Also, for what very, very little it's worth, Shaka reportedly turned down Illinois in 2012 because his wife wanted a larger, more cosmopolitan location. 

 

[MotownHorn 1742]

1 hour ago, shadow_operative said:

RT quit his job as a HC to become an assistant under Beard. you think that's the kind of guy that Texas is looking for to replace one of the 3-4 best coaches in cbb? you think kentucky is looking at him to replace Cal? you think ucla will hire him if we take cronin? come on man. if RT was a million miles away from being considered for the job two years ago, then how does him voluntarily taking a demotion somehow make him a candidate this time around?

Please see the last 10 weeks

[HookEm 2450]

Quote

Q: when we replaced Shaka, was rodney terry a candidate? was he on the list? would the suggestion of interviewing him have been laughable? 

Counter Point:  Let's say we would have hired Shaka to replace Beard right when he was fired instead of promoting Terry.  Would we have a better record or worse record?

I'm going to go ahead and say Terry has done a better job with the team than Shaka would have, all things considered.  Shaka would have found a way to ruin the chemistry.

(That doesn't mean I want to offer Terry the job right now)

[shadow_operative 15932]

43 minutes ago, MotownHorn said:

Please see the last 10 weeks

i watched the last 10 weeks as our team empirically regressed, both based on the eye test and the stats and analytics. we had the worst three point defense in the big xii under rodney terry, which should have been damn near impossible. frankly it's just as unbelievable as shaka losing to ACU. beyond that our 5* freshmen players all but disappeared and failed to grow, marcus carr, tyrese hunter, and timmy allen regressed, RT showed that he's lacking when it comes to having his team prepared to play, he was poor at using substitutions to change the game when needed, and he took the deepest, most senior, most well rounded roster in the league and he underachieved with them when the conference title was there for the taking. so, what in all of that erases the rest of RT's 27 years as a D-1 coach, and suddenly propels him to being the kind of coach that Texas should want to hire? 

[ztejas 43385]

3 minutes ago, HookEm said:

Counter Point:  Let's say we would have hired Shaka to replace Beard right when he was fired instead of promoting Terry.  Would we have a better record or worse record?

I'm going to go ahead and say Terry has done a better job with the team than Shaka would have, all things considered.  Shaka would have found a way to ruin the chemistry.

[shadow_operative 15932]

6 minutes ago, HookEm said:

Counter Point:  Let's say we would have hired Shaka to replace Beard right when he was fired instead of promoting Terry.  Would we have a better record or worse record?

I'm going to go ahead and say Terry has done a better job with the team than Shaka would have, all things considered.  Shaka would have found a way to ruin the chemistry.

(That doesn't mean I want to offer Terry the job right now)

 

what a strange, illogical hypothetical. but since you brought up shaka, now's a good time to remind everybody that shaka is wildly better than RT as a head coach, and we aren't dying to hire him back, are we? so while i no idea what point you were trying to make, i'm glad that you brought up shaka, because that's a great reminder of just how far away Rodney Terry is from being a suitable candidate for this job. 

Edited March 7, 2023 by shadow_operative

[HookEm 2450]

You are actually the one who brought up Shaka in saying we wouldn't have considered Terry for the job.

My point is that Terry is doing better than Shaka did here.  Was it a good point? Probably not, lol.

[Red Five 40723]

With Derka on this one. Sure we could go after Tony Bennett, or Billy Donovan. Or we could just hire the guy who once lost in the first round of the tournament that one time. 

Edited March 7, 2023 by Red Five

[MuellerHorn 4203]

2 hours ago, Prepuce of Doom said:

The Bulls are currently 29-36 and are in a dogfight for a distant third place in their division. 

Also, for what very, very little it's worth, Shaka reportedly turned down Illinois in 2012 because his wife wanted a larger, more cosmopolitan location. 

 

Dumbass looked up last season's record. He should have noticed the year, let alone that 46 & 36 add up to 82, which totals the regular season games in the NBA.

Edited March 7, 2023 by MuellerHorn

[HookEm 2450]

Speaking of experienced rosters, it would be hard to top what Shaka inherited back in 2016.  That was one of the most experienced, upper-class heavy teams we have ever had at Texas.  Going into the season you had:

• Isaiah Taylor - Jr - Wooden Preseason Watch
• Jevan Felix - Sr - 47 career starts
• Connor Lammert - Sr - 39 career starts
• Cameron Ridley - Sr - 85 career starts, Big-12 All Defense
• Demarcus Holland - Sr - 74 career starts, Big 12 All Defense
• Prince Ibeh - Sr - (Became Big 12 Defensive PoY in 2016)
• Kendal Yancy - Jr - 28 career starts
• Shaq Cleare - Jr - 28 career starts (at Maryland)

And to that we added Kerwin Roach (#39 recruit), Eric Davis (#47 recruit), Tevin Mack (#53 recruit)

Man that had the potential to be a great team.  Instead we topped out ranked #23 and got a 6-seed and crapped out vs. Northern Iowa.  What a terrible way to start his tenure here.

\Rant

[Hookem2147 20990]

Gerry said it will not be Musselman

[Hookem2147 20990]

Second post made me laugh

[MotownHorn 1742]

1 hour ago, shadow_operative said:

i watched the last 10 weeks as our team empirically regressed, both based on the eye test and the stats and analytics. we had the worst three point defense in the big xii under rodney terry, which should have been damn near impossible. frankly it's just as unbelievable as shaka losing to ACU. beyond that our 5* freshmen players all but disappeared and failed to grow, marcus carr, tyrese hunter, and timmy allen regressed, RT showed that he's lacking when it comes to having his team prepared to play, he was poor at using substitutions to change the game when needed, and he took the deepest, most senior, most well rounded roster in the league and he underachieved with them when the conference title was there for the taking. so, what in all of that erases the rest of RT's 27 years as a D-1 coach, and suddenly propels him to being the kind of coach that Texas should want to hire? 

You must be a blast at parties

[closetohumping 17416]

I don't really care about Donovan's NBA record.

[shadow_operative 15932]

8 minutes ago, MotownHorn said:

You must be a blast at parties

you should see me do the worm.

[ztejas 43385]

1 minute ago, closetohumping said:

I don't really care about Donovan's NBA record.

Seriously. What the fuck does that have to do with anything. NBA coaches that are winning never to back to college anyway. 

[Rickylovesweed 14252]

 

5 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

i watched the last 10 weeks as our team empirically regressed, both based on the eye test and the stats and analytics. we had the worst three point defense in the big xii under rodney terry, which should have been damn near impossible. frankly it's just as unbelievable as shaka losing to ACU. beyond that our 5* freshmen players all but disappeared and failed to grow, marcus carr, tyrese hunter, and timmy allen regressed, RT showed that he's lacking when it comes to having his team prepared to play, he was poor at using substitutions to change the game when needed, and he took the deepest, most senior, most well rounded roster in the league and he underachieved with them when the conference title was there for the taking. so, what in all of that erases the rest of RT's 27 years as a D-1 coach, and suddenly propels him to being the kind of coach that Texas should want to hire? 

Also, why would you just look at the last 10 weeks? You have 10 years of empirical data at Fresno State and UTEP which proves Terry is at best a mediocre coach. 

Even if the last 10 weeks showed slight improvement......10 years of data > 10 weeks with a roster built by Chris Beard. 

 

[MrX 716]

Credit to Rodney Terry for holding the team together when it could have easily imploded, but he ended up landing this team short of its potential and short of its realistic regular season goals.
 

The team should be hitting its stride now but it’s Jekyll/Hyde game to game instead. 
 

Maybe we pull it together and make a deep run so Terry becomes a legitimate candidate. I hope so because I really like this team, but I’m not optimistic based on how the regular season played out. 
 

 

[Rickylovesweed 14252]

7 minutes ago, MrX said:

Short of its realistic regular season goals.
 

 

 

This is an interesting conversation. 

#8 in Kenpom, #7 in the AP Poll, and 2nd in the Big 12. I don't know......I think I would have taken those regular season results prior to the season starting. I'm obviously not saying we should hire RT but don't think we fell that far short of the regular season goals (if at all). 

[shadow_operative 15932]

12 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

This is an interesting conversation. 

#8 in Kenpom, #7 in the AP Poll, and 2nd in the Big 12. I don't know......I think I would have taken those regular season results prior to the season starting. I'm obviously not saying we should hire RT but don't think we fell that far short of the regular season goals (if at all). 

the team i saw at the beginning of the season looked like a conference title winning one seed with a top 2-3 defense nationally, if not the best defense in the country. it was a team with an identity, a typical beard team but with more depth and experience than he's ever had. shooting was the only real question on a night to night basis, which is far from the case now. the team now lacks identity, is nowhere near as lethal defensively, and is hot and cold; you never know how we're going to play, especially away from home. that was never the case when beard was in charge. so while yes, the numbers on the  page look to be pretty close to our original expectations, the team fails eyeball test miserably compared to a typical beard team, and particularly when compared to our early season team, from the Arkansas game through Beard's dismissal.

Edited March 7, 2023 by shadow_operative

[jimmyjazz 45679]

Coaches matter, but Beard built a team with a shit-ton of maturity and experience.  These guys really like each other, are generally unselfish, and they're driven to succeed.  I honestly don't believe we'd be a whole lot worse if there were no coach on the bench.  That seems like a ridiculous thing to say, but when you have huge minutes chewed up by Marcus, Timmy, Dylan, Jabari and Brock you have a massive advantage when it comes to dealing with a sudden coaching change.

[Rickylovesweed 14252]

15 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

the team i saw at the beginning of the season looked like a conference title winning one seed with a top 2-3 defense nationally, if not the best defense in the country. it was a team with an identity, a typical beard team but with more depth and experience than he's ever had. shooting was the only real question on a night to night basis, which is far from the case now. the team now lacks identity, is nowhere near as lethal defensively, and is hot and cold; you never know how we're going to play, especially away from home. that was never the case when beard was in charge. so while yes, the numbers on the  page look to be pretty close to our original expectations, the team fails eyeball test miserably compared to a typical beard team, and particularly when compared to our early season team, from the Arkansas game through Beard's dismissal.

I think we've definitely regressed. As you've mentioned, the advanced stats back it up. 

But we're talking about a 1 game swing here from being a 1 seed and conference champ. 

[Steelers Roll Left 1166]

Hey, Chris Beard’s available……

[Sandbagging Steve 982]

At the beginning of the season, I thought this team could win it all. I thought not only is Texas one of the 2 or 3 best teams in America but that they're built for the NCAAs. Beard was the coach to get them over the hump. It's the best mix of talent and experience I've seen at Texas since TJ Ford led us to the Final Four. Since Beard was removed as the head bb coach, this team has regressed; they're a few bounces away from a few more losses. The drop-off was immediate, even during the winning streak.

The whole situation sucks, but I'm proud of the players for keeping it together and making the most of it. I hope they go deep in the tournament. It doesn't change my opinion of the need for a big-time basketball coach to lead us in the future.

[closetohumping 17416]

11 hours ago, HookEm said:

Speaking of experienced rosters, it would be hard to top what Shaka inherited back in 2016.  That was one of the most experienced, upper-class heavy teams we have ever had at Texas.  Going into the season you had:

• Isaiah Taylor - Jr - Wooden Preseason Watch
• Jevan Felix - Sr - 47 career starts
• Connor Lammert - Sr - 39 career starts
• Cameron Ridley - Sr - 85 career starts, Big-12 All Defense
• Demarcus Holland - Sr - 74 career starts, Big 12 All Defense
• Prince Ibeh - Sr - (Became Big 12 Defensive PoY in 2016)
• Kendal Yancy - Jr - 28 career starts
• Shaq Cleare - Jr - 28 career starts (at Maryland)

And to that we added Kerwin Roach (#39 recruit), Eric Davis (#47 recruit), Tevin Mack (#53 recruit)

Man that had the potential to be a great team.  Instead we topped out ranked #23 and got a 6-seed and crapped out vs. Northern Iowa.  What a terrible way to start his tenure here.

\Rant

Not alot of nba talent there

[ChickenSandwich 9813]

Elite 8 deserves to stay. Second weekend will stay which will set the program back 4 years. 
 

Terry is not our standard. The $500k bonus is a nice boost out the door

[HookEm 2450]

5 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

Not alot of nba talent there

I mean, we had eight National Top-100 players on the roster, not counting 3-star Isaiah Taylor who actually played in the NBA.  If you consider that the NBA drafts 60 players a year, if all our players played to their potential we should have had 5 drafted.   Ridley was the #14 player out of high school and should have been a 1st rounder.

Compare that to this year.  We only have four National Top-100 players on the roster. Dillon Mitchel (5), Arterio Morris (19),Tyrese Hunter (34), Rowan Brumbaugh (93) 

I really think if Barnes had been around to coach that team one more year he would have had a good year.