After a week filled with rumors of different names circling around for the coaching vacancy of the Miners, UTEP chose Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry to be its new head coach.

UTEP confirmed the hire on Monday afternoon with this statement from UTEP President Diana Natalicio:

“We are delighted to welcome Coach Terry to El Paso and we’re excited about the future of UTEP Basketball under his leadership,” Natalicio said.  “He’s enjoyed a very successful tenure as Fresno State’s head coach, and he’s well-known as an effective recruiter with deep ties to the Lone Star State.  We look very much forward to bringing him back to Texas to usher in a new era of Miner Ball.”

His introductory press conference is still pending, will probably be next week, but this is what Athletic Director Jim Senter said on Terry:

“We are very pleased to welcome Rodney Terry to the UTEP family,” Senter said.  “He’s a great fit for us with his Texas connections and his proven track record as a coach and recruiter.  He’s a proven winner and will represent this proud program well.”

Terry and Fresno State saw their season come to a close last Thursday in the Mountain West Tournament, losing to San Diego State. It was Terry’s third 20-win season, going 21-11 this season.

He coached seven seasons with the Bulldogs and was 126-107 overall at the helm. Terry has taken the Bulldogs to one NCAA Tournament, one NIT appearance and one CBI finals.

Terry, who finished his seventh season with the Bulldogs in the Mountain West for 2017-18, is ready for his next move in El Paso.

“I’m super excited about an unbelievable opportunity at the University of Texas at El Paso,” Terry said.  “It’s a program that has experienced a very high level of success and has a great basketball tradition that I’m looking forward to building upon.”

The head coaching job for the Miners has been open for almost four months since Tim Floyd announced his retirement after a 1-5 start.

An interesting note, however, is Terry had a no buyout clause in his contract after signing an extension to keep in at Fresno State through 2021, according to Fresno State’s athletics website. Mountain West Wire reported that Terry currently makes close to $650,000 at Fresno State, which is about $50,000 more than former coach Tim Floyd made at UTEP.

More notably is multiple reports said Terry believes he has taken Fresno State as far as he can.

Being born and raised in Angelton, Texas, Terry started his career in the Lone Star State, playing college ball at  St. Edward’s University in Austin, and then coaching as an assistant at Baylor (1996-98), UNC Wilmington (1998-02) and Texas (2002-11) prior to landing the head coaching position at Fresno State.