Oct. 17, 2008

Janice Lu, Texas Media Relations

Though it has been over 10 years since Terrence Rencher made his last basket in the Erwin Center, his name is still found in the career record books as one of the all-time greatest student-athletes to call Texas their home. In recognition of his achievements on and off the court, Rencher is one of eight Longhorns that will be inducted into the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor this November.

"It feels really, really good to be included in the category of great past Longhorns," Rencher said. "I first saw the Hall as a freshman and was amazed by the photos of the people that were up there. I didn't even know that a lot of them were athletes at the University of Texas. The Hall of Honor was always a big goal of mine and after having not made it twice, previously, it feels really good to finally get in this time."

As the Longhorns' career record holder for points scored, field goals made and steals, all of which still stand today, Rencher's athletic legacy can be easily defined on paper. In his four years at UT, he helped the Longhorns post an 83-44 mark. A two-time AP All-American honorable mention, Rencher scored in double figures of 111 of his 124 career games and averaged double figures in scoring every year.

In 1995, the Washington Bullets selected Rencher in the NBA draft. After playing one year for Miami and Phoenix, he had a 10-year professional career overseas playing in countries around Europe.

But if Rencher had to choose which one was better, the Hall of Honor induction or the school records, the choice would be obvious.

"The Hall of Honor easily wins," Rencher answered. "I don't know if those records will be broken because of the way college basketball is now, but it can be taken away. The Hall of Honor is forever."

To focus solely on Rencher's basketball achievements would only cover half of his contributions to the University. After his playing days were over, he came back to the Forty Acres in 2006 to take care of some unfinished business and earn his degree. While completing his studies, Rencher used his past experience as a student-athlete to serve as an academic mentor to Longhorn athletes, specifically working with the men's basketball team during study hall.

It has been a few years since he last played professional basketball, but Rencher is still active in the sport, turning to coaching as his new career aspirations. After holding the role of basketball program director at the Regents School of Austin and coach of the boys' varsity team, Rencher was recently hired as the graduate assistant at Saint Louis University where he is learning more and more about what it takes to coach at the college level.

"I do some video work, I've worked in academics a little bit, and I help out on the court and with on-campus recruiting," Rencher described. "I touch a little bit of everything so that is even better for me because I'm getting all aspects of the job."

Though his new life is currently in St. Louis, Rencher still holds Austin close to his heart. First, his wife and daughter still reside in Austin.

"The job happened so fast -- I got a call on Wednesday, talked to the coach and then I was there on Saturday so I had to move really quick," Rencher said. "The first week of school was about to start for my daughter so my wife and daughter stayed."

And secondly, Rencher will always remember the school that not only gave him a chance to play basketball, but also the opportunity to have a solid future. While the Hall of Honor induction may be the epitome of his athletic achievements, Rencher hopes that his career as a Texas Longhorn is far from over.

"As an athlete, this is it for me. I feel complete as far as my athletic career goes," Rencher stated. "I am definitely a Longhorn and I love the University of Texas so I would love the opportunity to be a part of the coaching staff at some point. Is it going to happen? I don't know, but if I could work in basketball at UT at some point of my career, that would be the next big thing for me."

Even if his records are someday broken, Rencher's Longhorn legacy will never be forgotten after the weekend of November 7 when all eight inductees officially become members of the Hall of Honor. That weekend, Rencher will fly down to Austin and, just like how he has celebrated many other big occasions, he will share the joy with his family.

"I have my parents and my in-laws coming so I will have the chance to enjoy the moment with people close to me," Rencher said. "I think my family is happier for me than anything. They have been proud of me for the fact that I was able to get to college; from that day on, they have always been proud of me."

Not only will his family always be proud of him, but the Eyes of Texas will also always be proud to have Terrence Rencher in their Hall of Honor.