Longhorns can’t afford to squander time
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Seventeen years ago, a comet by the name of Kevin Durant blazed through Texas for one remarkable season. He garnered too many Big 12 and national accolades to fully list, including the coveted Naismith college player of the year award.
But that pro-laden Texas team featuring Durant, A.J. Abrams and D.J. Augustin couldn’t get past USC in the second round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. So while the future NBA superstar’s time in college was brief, he fully understands just how cruel and treacherous the NCAA Tournament can be – even for future Hall of Famers.
Texas interim coach Rodney Terry played a significant role in getting Durant to join the Longhorns amid a nationwide recruiting battle for his services. Back in ‘07, Terry was one of Rick Barnes’ assistants and often the primary point of contact for recruits.
Now, on the eve of secondseeded Texas’ Sweet Sixteen matchup with third-seeded Xavier at the T-mobile Center, Terry has captured Durant’s attention once more.
“(Terry) has led this team on and off the court as well as anyone could have expected,” Durant said via his media network, Boardroom. “To see them in the Sweet 16 with as a good a shot to win the national championship as anyone is a testament to the amazing job he’s done. The program is in an amazing place.”
An unfamiliar one, too. At least of late.
Prior to this season, Texas hadn’t reached the second week of the NCAA tournament since 2008. It made it through to the Elite Eight that season. It hasn’t reached the Final Four since 2003.
Terry knows all this, of course. He also knows he’s still in the midst of an ongoing public
job interview with athletic director Chris Del Conte waiting until the offseason to name a permanent replacement for the fired Chris Beard.
Terry, 21-7 since taking over head-coaching duties Dec. 12, has been asked countless times about landing the full-time gig. To a man, his players have promoted him for it. But Terry hasn’t cared to speculate much on a nebulous future. Anyway, if Texas just keeps rolling, that’ll all sort itself out without any need for self-lobbying.
Xavier (27-9) won’t make it easy. Last week, it dispatched 14th-seeded Kennesaw State 7267 and 11th-seeded Pittsburgh 84-73 to setup the program’s third-ever Sweet Sixteen matchup
with Texas.
The Musketeers’ offense is fast, dangerous and efficient. Lead guard Souley Boum (16.5 points per game) fronts a versatile group averaging 81.2 points per game on 49.3 percent shooting, both top-10 marks in the nation.
“Great offensive team, likes to push the pace,” graduate guard Marcus Carr said Thursday. “They can shoot the ball well. They have an inside presence as well. So they’re a pretty good team. That’s why they’re here. We should do a good job of preparing for them.”
Miller thinks likewise of Texas, an up-tempo team that stays fresh and feisty thanks to its nine-man rotation.
“They’re a very talented team,” Miller said. “They’re very athletic. First of all, we’re going to have to get back in transition. That’s going to be one of the keys to the game. We’re going to have to be able to box out in this tournament and in this game because they have a lot of guys that they send to the glass.”
Though it’s been a while, Terry is no stranger to the Sweet Sixteen. He reached this round four times over nine years as a Texas assistant, advancing to the Elite Eight in 2006 and 2008 and the Final Four in 2003.
There’s no doubt Texas has the talent, the coaching and the camaraderie needed to play and win four more games. Terry also knows how dangerous it can
be to dream of future glory with so much at stake in the present. “I always tell our guys, live where your feet are,” Terry likes to say.
And that’s been his message, not just this week, but since this team can into his care months ago.
“Drawing on experiences, the thing that I try to echo to our guys is, we’re guaranteed 40 minutes,” Terry said. “You can’t waste 20 minutes this time of year. You’ve got to play as hard as you can play from start to finish, and we have an incredible challenge with a really, really good Xavier team.”