SAN ANTONIO — After eight seasons as UTSA's men's basketball head coach, Steve Henson is out and the national search is on for who will take the helm for the Roadrunners next.
Henson's reign as the men's basketball coach began in 2016. In that season, the 'Runners more than doubled their win total from the year prior and won their first eight home games of the season, amounting to the program's best start since the 1991-92 season. There was buzz around the program within the Alamo City again.
The following season, the team improved in 15 statistical categories and Henson was named the 2017-18 Conference USA Gene Bartow Coach of the Year and the NABC District 11 Coach of the Year.
But after UTSA’s third straight consecutive losing season, Athletic Director Lisa Campos announced Thursday that she will not renew Henson’s contract, ending his eight-year run as Roadrunners head coach.
“I want to thank Coach Henson for his commitment to UTSA Basketball and to this university,” Campos said. “He has been a first-class representative of UTSA and has taught his student-athletes life lessons that will serve them well for the rest of their lives. We wish Coach Henson and his family the very best in the future.”
Henson finished with record of 110-143 at UTSA, including the team’s transition from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference this past season.
The team’s struggles over the past three seasons are likely the biggest contributor to his dismissal, as the Roadrunners never won more than 11 games.
Henson’s expiring contract had been the subject of the team’s finish to this most recent year. After turning over virtually the entire roster from 2022-23, UTSA stumbled out to a 2-11 start to AAC play. A three-game win streak at the end of February, including wins at North Texas and SMU, showed flashes of potential.
But the team faltered in its final two games against Temple, including Wednesday’s first round loss in the AAC Tournament, to likely seal his fate.
UTSA will now begin a national search to find Henson’s replacement.
With UTSA entrenched in the AAC, the job is more attractive now that it was in year’s past. Plus, the school announced construction plans for a multimillion-dollar basketball training facility, with a target date for next year.
Another question mark moving forward is if the current team roster will hit the transfer portal.
“This group here, we set it up so that most of them would be back,” said Henson following Wednesday’s season-ending defeat. “Virtually every guy in that locker room wants to come back. Retention is important.”
But now that Henson is out of the picture, it's likely some of UTSA’s current roster will depart.
The next hire will be Campos’ first for the men’s basketball program.