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What Rick Barnes Has Done At Tennessee Can't Be Overlooked
Posted on 3/22/25 at 11:59 pm
Posted on 3/22/25 at 11:59 pm
Was considered 'done' a decade ago and was thrown in the trash by Texas. Only for the Tennessee job to somehow magically open up in the same off season. Such a lucky arse instance of timing for my alma mater.
Tennesseee basketball had lost all the momentum the Pearl era had created. Our coach was about to be banished yet again for getting caught cheating. Everything was fricked up. Then comes Rick Barnes. Two rebuilding years from NOTHING later and we have had a perennial NCAA tourney/SEC Championship contending basketball program ever since. Four Sweet 16 births in 6 seasons. Wire to wire top ten seasons past two years. Top 4+ seed every year since 2018 (*correction every year but one where we were a 5 seed in the condensed post-Covid 2021 year).
Dude isn't perfect. And he may very well never win the whole thing. But damnit, any program could do SO MUCH WORSE than having Rick Barnes serving as the steward of your men's basketball program.
Greatest men's coach in Tennessee history.
Tennesseee basketball had lost all the momentum the Pearl era had created. Our coach was about to be banished yet again for getting caught cheating. Everything was fricked up. Then comes Rick Barnes. Two rebuilding years from NOTHING later and we have had a perennial NCAA tourney/SEC Championship contending basketball program ever since. Four Sweet 16 births in 6 seasons. Wire to wire top ten seasons past two years. Top 4+ seed every year since 2018 (*correction every year but one where we were a 5 seed in the condensed post-Covid 2021 year).
Dude isn't perfect. And he may very well never win the whole thing. But damnit, any program could do SO MUCH WORSE than having Rick Barnes serving as the steward of your men's basketball program.
Greatest men's coach in Tennessee history.
This post was edited on 3/23/25 at 12:02 am
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Posted on 3/23/25 at 1:12 am to psk_Vol
Since Pearl was hired in 2005 Tennessee basketball has made 15 of the last 20 NCAA tournaments. For a program that was never a basketball blue blood Tennessee has proven these past two decades how it actually is absolutely possible to sustain a respectable perennial NCAA Tournament participating basketball program at a historical football school like Tennessee.
As a 90s kid who has seen how bad Tennessee basketball can get I'll never take our hoops successes for granted. Hopefully Rick has another 3 or four seasons left in the tank
As a 90s kid who has seen how bad Tennessee basketball can get I'll never take our hoops successes for granted. Hopefully Rick has another 3 or four seasons left in the tank
This post was edited on 3/23/25 at 1:25 am
Posted on 3/23/25 at 1:49 am to psk_Vol
He's been a huge blessing. Rick and Bruce will always have a special place in Tennessee history.
This post was edited on 3/23/25 at 1:50 am
Posted on 3/23/25 at 3:22 am to psk_Vol
Losing Pearl to #1 Auburn has to sting worse than anything
Posted on 3/23/25 at 3:37 am to psk_Vol
As a kid who went to every home game of the Wade Houston era I really appreciate Coach Barnes. I hope he gets that Final Four before he is done here.
Posted on 3/23/25 at 6:06 am to rich4pres
I think he makes the 8 this year. Beating Houston will be tough. I think Tennessee is capable. Hope they do
Posted on 3/23/25 at 6:24 am to psk_Vol
He's an excellent coach. Has done very well at Tennessee
Posted on 3/23/25 at 6:26 am to rich4pres
I saw Ellis AND Houston play in BR. Ellis was an absolute wizard out there.
Posted on 3/23/25 at 6:34 am to psk_Vol
Barnes is a winner and an opposing coach that I have a lot of respect for.
Posted on 3/23/25 at 7:26 am to psk_Vol
quote:
Was considered 'done' a decade ago and was thrown in the trash by Texas.
i honestly don't remember: did Texas really consider him 'done?' or was it just more of the unreasonable entitlement of that entire zany fanbase that pushed him out?
i'm guessing either way it hasn't worked out the way the longhorns thought it would.
Posted on 3/23/25 at 7:33 am to Dawg4Life47
quote:
Losing Pearl to #1 Auburn has to sting worse than anything
Look at Pearls ncaa record the last couple of years. Pearl is a great recruiter and a good coach and I was pissed the way he left UT. But Barnes is an upgrade.
Posted on 3/23/25 at 7:55 am to psk_Vol
he should of never left Clemson look at all he could of had!!!! who ho to Texas anyway soft libs.
better to be at Tenn but he know he fricked up by leaving Clemson.
BOOM!
better to be at Tenn but he know he fricked up by leaving Clemson.
BOOM!
Posted on 3/23/25 at 8:57 am to psk_Vol
Former OU women's coach Sherri Coale said that Rick Barnes was one of her "favorite people"... and that was when he was still coaching at Texas.
So he must be a great guy despite looking kind of like an old buzzard.
So he must be a great guy despite looking kind of like an old buzzard.
Posted on 3/23/25 at 9:14 am to Jim Sweet
quote:
Jim Sweet
Is English your second language?
Posted on 3/23/25 at 9:18 am to Smokeyone
quote:
Look at Pearls ncaa record the last couple of years. Pearl is a great recruiter and a good coach and I was pissed the way he left UT. But Barnes is an upgrade.
Barnes is 32-28 (53%)all time over 21 years with 1 Final Four
Pearl is 19-13 (59%) all time over 14 years with 1 Final Four.
They're the same coach.
Posted on 3/23/25 at 9:29 am to Dawg4Life47
quote:
Losing Pearl to #1 Auburn has to sting worse than anything
Eh Auburn itself has nothing to do with it. They just happened to have an open SEC basketball job when his ban was lifted and nobody else wanted him. But yes, losing him in 2010 stunk a lot then. Pearl was about to really have Tennessee humming along.
However safe to say that Pearl found the perfect landing spot for him in 2014 given the circumstances of both Pearl and AU bball at the time. And Tennessee found the perfect fit in Barnes. Both Auburn and Tennessee ended up with the right person leading them.
Comparing Barnes and Pearl gets a little silly at the end of the day. Really have to split hairs on that one. Both guys are future HOF coaches.
Posted on 3/23/25 at 9:33 am to psk_Vol
Definitely worked out for both coaches and schools in the end.
Posted on 3/23/25 at 9:36 am to IAmNERD
Saying Rick Barnes is the best coach in Tennessee history isn't a zero sum slight at Pearl. Just is what it is. We won one SEC championship, had 2 sweet 16 births and one elite 8 appearance in 7 years under Pearl.
Barnes first two years at Tennessee when he had no talent whatsoever to work with the program didn't go dancing. But in the timespan of the past 6 full seasons alone Barnes has won two SEC championships, one SEC tourney, taken us to four different Sweet 16s and an elite 8 game
Objectively speaking Barnes has now surpassed Pearl's tenure of success here at UT. Again, not a knock on Pearl though. Bruce was brilliant for us and continues to shine at AU.
Barnes first two years at Tennessee when he had no talent whatsoever to work with the program didn't go dancing. But in the timespan of the past 6 full seasons alone Barnes has won two SEC championships, one SEC tourney, taken us to four different Sweet 16s and an elite 8 game
Objectively speaking Barnes has now surpassed Pearl's tenure of success here at UT. Again, not a knock on Pearl though. Bruce was brilliant for us and continues to shine at AU.
This post was edited on 3/23/25 at 9:39 am
Posted on 3/23/25 at 9:41 am to IAmNERD
quote:
Look at Pearls ncaa record the last couple of years
quote:
all time over 14 years
Fail
Posted on 3/23/25 at 10:31 am to psk_Vol
You fools will never learn. Likely a loss in the sweet 16 and guaranteed loss in the elite 8 if not.
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