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Now in his thirteenth season, Terry Waldrop is the winningest coach in Texas Wesleyan University Men’s Basketball history. He reached that milestone in the 2007-08 season with his 161st career win and the mark now stands at 245.
In his seventh season, the program reached the pinnacle of NAIA Basketball when they won the 69th Annual Buffalo Funds NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, and Waldrop was named both Rawlings NAIA and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) NAIA Coach of the Year.
Since the national championship run, the program has hit a new gear. The Rams have made four more NAIA National Tournament appearances in the last five years. They have been ranked nationally in 43 consecutive NAIA Coaches’ Polls, marking the third longest active streak in the nation. In the last four years, their 103 wins ranks second in the state of Texas only to the University of Texas; however, the Rams own a higher winning percentage (.769) than the Longhorns (.741). The team has also been nearly unbeatable at home, delivering a mind-boggling 45-1 record in the last three seasons.
Last season, the Rams put together an historic season and Waldrop was once again a finalist for the National Coach of the Year award. At 30-4, the Rams matched the highest win total in the 74-year history of TWU Basketball. The team won its fourth consecutive Red River Athletic Conference regular season championship. At 21-1, their only conference loss came at LSU-Shreveport when the Pilots were ranked #1 in the country. The team’s defense was the best in the country allowing opponents to shoot an anemic 36.2% from the field. The Rams also led the nation in 3-point field goal percentage defense at 26%, and were the national leaders in rebound margin at +12 per game, and also total rebounds at 47.7 per game. Five Rams were named All-Conference, while Brian Wanamaker hit the 1,000 point plateau in only his second season and was named RRAC Player of the Year and 1st-team All-American. Jonathan Blake was also an Honorable Mention All-American selection.
In the 2005-06 season, several years of hard work and competition against some of the best teams in the country paid off. Waldrop led the Rams to a 10-game winning streak and a 76-69 win at two-time defending Southland Conference Champion and NCAA Division I Tournament participant Southeastern Louisiana. Then the Rams pulled off one of the most remarkable runs in NAIA history when they won the National Championship as the 27th seed in the field of 32 teams. The 2005-06 Rams solidified their place as the best team in school history when they defeated Carroll College 73-70 to advance to the Fab Four for the first time in program history. They then defeated Oklahoma Baptist, 83-72, to advance to the title game. In the title game, All-American Ben Hunt scored a career high 34 points, including a three with 0.2 seconds remaining to seal a 67-65 win.
The Rams' 25 wins were the third most in school history, while their 16 conference wins were a school record at the time. They also set 15 school records after setting a remarkable 17 in the previous season. For his work in the 2005-06 season, Waldrop received two national Coach of the Year awards and was named Alumnus of the Year at the United States Sports Academy.
Three years removed from their first national title, Waldrop led the Rams to one of the most outstanding seasons in school history in 2008-09 and was named RRAC Coach of the Year. The team went 29-5, including a perfect 17-0 at home, and was one win shy of the school single season record. They were also one shy of a school record with an 18-game winning streak. The team won its second straight RRAC regular season title and advanced to the NAIA Sweet 16. Chris Berry became the school’s second 1st-team All-American after he broke Clifton McNeely’s single season scoring record. Berry finished with 740 points, averaging 21.8 per game, and was also named Texas Small College Player of the Year.
In his first season, Waldrop made an immediate impact on the program, leading the then NCAA Division II Rams to a 15-win season and the best winning percentage at Wesleyan in more than a decade.
In the 2001-02 season, Waldrop led the Rams to a 17-9 finish with an 8-1 home record, then Wesleyan's best all-time home winning percentage. The Rams finished the year in the USCAA National Tournament in Detroit, advancing to the Elite Eight.
In the 2002-03, the Rams finished the season with a 22-12 record. The squad included 6-10, Honorable-Mention All-American, David Johnson, who led the nation in blocked shots for two seasons.
The 2004-05 Rams set 17 school records, including most three-pointers made (348) and most three-pointers attempted (865). In addition, they led the nation in threes made per game with 10.9. They were led by 2nd-team All-American Tommy Johnson, who made what was then a school record 109 three-pointers.
In 2006-07, Waldrop led the Rams to 19 wins. The team featured two Honorable Mention All-Americans in Evan Patterson and CJ Higginbotham, who led all levels of collegiate basketball with his 53% long range shooting.
In 2007-08, Waldrop led the Rams back to the national tournament. The Rams went 20-12 overall and won the RRAC regular season title with a 12-4 record. Their title clinching win came at Jarvis Christian in the regular season finale. That win also marked Coach Waldrop’s 161st coaching win, making him the winningest coach in program history. The Rams earned an at-large bid to the NAIA National Tournament where they were defeated, 73-71, by McKendree University in the opening round.
In 2009-10 the Rams won their third consecutive RRAC Championship with a record of 16-4, and made their fourth NAIA National Tournament Appearance in the last five years. The team featured five All-Conference selections and one All-American in senior guard Jamel White. White averaged 22.4 points per game for the season and 30 points per game in the national tournament. White nearly led the Rams past eventual champion Oklahoma Baptist with a 40-point performance in the Sweet 16.
Prior to joining Wesleyan, Waldrop was an assistant to John Lyles at Southeastern Louisiana University, an NCAA Division I program on the north shore of New Orleans. During his five seasons with the Lions, SLU won a Trans America Athletic Conference Championship, had two nationally rated recruiting classes, and defeated nationally ranked College of Charleston, snapping one of the nation's longest winning streaks.
Waldrop began his collegiate coaching career in Texas at Navarro Junior College. He was an assistant for widely-respected Coach Lewis Orr (a Texas Wesleyan alum), where he helped bring in three All-American players, two of whom went on to play in the NBA. Ruben Garces led Providence to the Elite Eight and later played for the Phoenix Suns, while Corey Brewer was honored as the Big 12 Player of the Year at Oklahoma and became a first-round draft choice of the Miami Heat.
Waldrop took his first head coaching position at Sterlington High School where he posted back-to-back 20-win seasons with the Panthers. He began his coaching career at West Monroe High School in Louisiana, serving as an assistant for Sidney Smith. While at West Monroe, Waldrop helped guide the Rebels to several USA Today Top-25 rankings and two regional finals appearances.
Waldrop is a 1986 graduate of the University of Louisiana-Monroe and holds a bachelor of science in kinesiology. He has a master's degree in sport management from the United States Sports Academy in Mobile, Alabama.
A native of Louisiana, Waldrop grew up in the northern Louisiana city of Monroe. Waldrop attended East Union in Marion, Louisiana and graduated from Ouachita Parish High School in 1981. He is married to Nicole, who teaches at Daulton Elementary School in the Mansfield ISD, and they are the parents of three children, Cody (23), Allyson (14), and Michael (12). The family resides in nearby Mansfield.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT COACH WALDROP
Ruben Garces - Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns
"My relationship with Coach T goes beyond the regular "player-coach" relationship. I consider him like a big brother to me. He is a big part of the reason why I graduated from college, played in the NBA, and have a great career in the best league in Europe (Spain). As a foreign student learning English for the first time, every night he would work with me. He took me under his wing, not only as a coach, but as a tutor and mentor. Coach T's daily lessons have become lesson's for a lifetime, and I am grateful to call him my friend."
Thomas Schuberth - Head Coach, Paris Junior College
"I have known Coach Waldrop since his outstanding days as a high school coach in Louisiana. I've always felt he would be a superstar in college coaching-that's why I encouraged him to get in the college game. Terry has already accomplished what the rest of us coaches are trying to do-win a National Championship. We are proud to have Terry coachin the state of Texas. I'm just glad I don't have to play his team!"
Brent "Buzz" Williams - Head Coach, Marquette University
"Coach Waldrop's winning percentage, conference championships, national championship, and graduation rate are all known, and undisputable. Very few in our profession have coached at the levels he has had, and had the level of success he has had at each stop along the way. What the numbers don't tell you, which is most important, is the character he has! He is far more concered with the person off the floor and in the classroom, than he is the player on the floor, and that is why his success is annual, because the relationships he has are lifelon.
Scott Cross - Head Coach, UT-Arlington
"Coach Waldrop has done an amazing job over at Texas Wesleyan. He has already won a National Championship, and every year he has a team that can compete with just about anybody in the country. He gets the most out of each and every one of his players, and it is obvious that his players love to play him. I am confident that it won't be long before the Texas Wesleyan Rams win their second National Championship under Coach Waldrop."
Bob Marlin - Head Coach, Sam Houston State University
"Terry Waldrop has experienced tremendous success at Texas Wesleyan University over the years. His teams always play hard and are well coached. You don’t become a National Champion or the winningest coach in school history without knowledge and work ethic. Terry has always been passionate about our game and young people since his days at Northeast Louisiana University."
Byron Rimm - Head Coach, Prairie View A&M University
"ENERGETIC. PASSIONATE. DRIVEN. WINNER. These are words often used to describe Texas Wesleyan basketball coach Terry Waldrop. I have known Terry for eight years and he has been a great mentor during my short coaching career. He has helped me with my confidence to handle any situation in my career."
Boby Starkey - Associate Head Women's Basketball Coach, Louisiana State University
"There are two things that have always impressed me about Terry. First is how much he cares about his team. He gets up in the morning thinking about what he can do for them as players and as people. And once you play for Terry he's always in your corner working for you. Second, is his drive to work on his craft. Nothing inspires me more than a good coach looking to get better and that's Terry."
Dana Pump - CEO/President Double Pump Inc.
"It is no coincidence that Terry Waldrop has been successful at every level at which he has coached. Coach Waldrop is the perfect example of what can happen when you combine an unbelievable work ethic with a brilliant basketball mind. Knowing him for years and hearing him speak to young coaches at my annual coaches clinic, it is no surprise to me that Coach Waldrop has been able to guide the Texas Wesleyan program to national prominence."
