Rodney Terry - Men's Basketball - Vanderbilt University Athletics

Rodney Terry

Assistant Coach

Rodney Terry joined the Vanderbilt men’s basketball staff in April 2026. One of the most respected minds in college basketball, Terry joins the Commodores after serving as the Texas head coach from 2023-25. He also spent the majority of the 2022-23 season as the interim head coach for the Longhorns.

Terry’s time at the helm of the Longhorns featured four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Big 12 Tournament title and Elite Eight appearance in 2023. In addition to his time at Texas, Terry owns a decade of head coaching experience across UTEP and Fresno State. He spent 2011-18 at Fresno State where he built the Bulldogs to a 25-10 mark and the Mountain West title in 2015-16.

The 2023 Sporting News Coach of the Year, Terry has amassed a 225-193 career record across his three head coaching stops. Known as one of the top recruiters in the country, Terry spent 2002-11 as an assistant under Rick Barnes at Texas. During that span, Terry played a major role in the recruitments of stars such as Kevin Durant, D.J. Augustin and Tristan Thompson.

In total, Terry played a major role in bringing 10 McDonald’s All-Americans to Texas during his time as an assistant. He helped the Longhorns pull in four top 10 ranked classes, including the nation’s top class in 2004.

In his nine years as an assistant at Texas, 13 Longhorns were selected in the NBA draft. The draftees included nine first-round picks and five lottery selections. Terry added a sixth lottery pick as a head coach when Tre Johnson went sixth overall in 2025.

Prior to Texas, Terry served as an assistant at UNC Wilmington for four season.

While at UNCW, Terry was instrumental in helping the program produce three postseason appearances in his four years, including NCAA Tournament appearances in 1999-2000 and 2001-02. During his final year with the Seahawks (2001-02), UNCW posted a 23-10 overall mark, setting a school record for most victories in a season. The Seahawks also collected their first NCAA Tournament win in school history, upsetting USC 98-89 in overtime in the first round. In 2001-02, Terry was named the co-mid/low-major Assistant Coach of the Year by TheInsiderHoops.com, sharing the honor with Valparaiso’s Scott Drew.

Terry also spent two seasons as an assistant at Baylor (1996-98) after a stellar three-year head coaching career in the Texas high school ranks.

A native of Angleton, Texas, Terry started his coaching career as an assistant coach at his alma mater, St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. he graduated from St. Edward’s University in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in physical education.

During his collegiate career, he was a three-year starter at point guard and a three-time Academic All-Big State Conference selection. The Hilltoppers won the Big State Conference title during his freshman season in 1986-87, and he also served as team captain during his junior and senior campaigns.