Terrence Johnson was given one season to prove himself as Texas State’s head men’s basketball coach. The odds weren’t necessarily stacked in his favor. He had to guide the Bobcats through the emotionally turbulent departure of former head coach Danny Kaspar. He had to rebuild an offense that had just lost its top scorer in program history. He had to adjust to the changes that the COVID-19 pandemic brought. And he had to do it all with an interim tag attached to his title, leaving no promise of any permanence.
“T.J.” handled all of it capably. His team went 18-7 overall and 12-3 in conference play, earning Texas State’s first-ever Sun Belt regular season championship. Johnson was named the league’s Coach of the Year and was signed to a four-year contract after the season. He’s picked up right where he left off last year, starting the 2021-22 season going 9-3 in non-conference play.
Johnson’s ability to lead the Bobcats through a year of uncertainty makes him the Daily Record’s 2021 Coach of the Year.
