“I had no intentions to offend anyone” - Texas coach Rodney Terry once clarified his “classless” comments after loss against UCF
Rodney Terry's first season as the Texas Longhorns coach did not go well. Texas finished seventh in the Big 12 and was eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
After Chris Beard departed the Longhorns in December 2022, Terry filled the role of interim coach. As a caretaker, he led Texas to Big 12 Tournament glory. However, his record after being promoted to head coach has not been good.
In January, UCF handed Texas its third defeat in its first four Big 12 games, a 77-71 loss. After the game UCF players did a horns-down celebration, the gesture Longhorns fans dislike.
"That’s classless. Don’t do that s***," Terry said. "We don't jump up and down and act like we won a national championship. … That’s what made me angry."
The Longhorns played Baylor next and narrowly won 75-73. But the players celebrated as if they had won the championship, which made Rodney Terry apologize after the game.
"I had no intention to try to show off anyone, or offend anyone in terms of what happened at the end of that match," Terry said, via ESPN.
Rodney Terry has nothing but praise for UCF coach Johnny Dawkins
Rodney Terry praised UCF coach Johnny Dawkins, following the Texas-UCF game in January.
"He’s got a good program, and they’re having a good year," Terry said. "Personally, if I offended him or his program or anyone else, that was not my intention.
"We have a lot of passion for who we are and what we stand for. We try to do it with class, at the highest level. If I offended some of our fans as well by not behaving the right way … I apologize to our fans as well, and I understand what it means to be the head coach at the University of Texas and what our brand stands for."
Texas played its second game against Baylor in March, losing 93-85 on the road. Texas went on to win its final game of the Big 12 regular season against Oklahoma to finish in seventh place with a 9-9 conference record.
The Longhorns then suffered a loss against Kansas State in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament. A second-round defeat to Tennessee ended their season in the NCAA Tournament.