The Texas men’s basketball team is gathered at Ruth’s Chris Steak House here in Knoxville, in a private room distinguished by the two-word sign outside: “Hook ’em.” Tomorrow the Longhorns will play Tennessee in a top-10 showdown. Tonight, following a practice at Thompson-Boling Arena, the team has circled up with arms over shoulders for a pre-dinner prayer before digging into filets and New York strips.
Between bites, happy chatter fills the room. Everyone has deposited their cellphones in a bucket emblazoned with the word “culture,” eliminating electronic distraction in order to maximize team communication. They’ll pick up the phones again when the meal is over.
At a table in the back corner of the room, interim coach Rodney Terry pulls up the left sleeve of his black quarter zip to show a visitor the Rolex on his wrist. Terry had given it to someone as a gift several years ago, and it had come back to him recently. He wears it in honor of a coach who isn’t there. “Every game I’m going to coach for the rest of my career, I’m going to wear this watch,” Terry says. “So he’s with me every game.”
