A Reluctant Criticism of Barnes

#302
#302
vols 30 said:
Is there a lot of talent on this team? Besides the freshman and Pons, I'm not so sure.

Pember, Gaines, EJ, ON look like they should be at a smaller school.

JJJ is a bust. Who knows about Walker

VB and SV are not reliable at all. One good game followed by several bad ones is their pattern.

Fulky is the mystery. Don't buy the Covid excuse.
Click to expand...
JJJ is not a bust. He's a do it all guy. Best offensive rebounder we have. Very good defender and an improved three point shooter. Just because he hasnt met your expectations doesn't mean he is a bust. That's a little harsh
 
  • Like
Reactions: DowntownVol, Creeker, jarnol32 and 3 others
#304
#304
VolsSportsFan said:
I agree, that's why I say he gets credit for what he did; but it wasn't a miracle. Peterson was dogs***.
Click to expand...
Other than an NIT championship @ Tulsa Buzz’s main accomplishments in getting the UT job were that he went to UT games when he was a kid & was Michael Jordan’s best man .
 
#305
#305
JACK8254 said:
We are very lucky to have Coach Barnes , no one reasonablefan would argue that. That said, this year he did a poor job of extracting a gold mine of talent on this team. Was it Covid, lack of team chemistry , too young, an unhealthy Fulky, no true pt guard, Jupiter out of alignment, lack of a team therapist, - pick your favorite. The cold fact is that there was a lot of talent on this team ( sweet 16 at least) and very little of it was utilized and that is on the coach. This team had a hard year and individually , they are a likable bunch. I cant remember a team that was this up and down and that again goes to coaching. This year should have been better.
Click to expand...
With the talent this team had i think they need to run more. Barnes is more of a slow set your offense up guy. Hate to bring this up but Pearl could of had this team running and scoring alot more.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VOLnVANDYland and Tnphil
#306
#306
Coach Barnes gives us a team that will be competitive in the SEC and make March Madness in most years - not something we’ve consistently had much other than the Bruce Pearl seasons. So, I am fairly thankful for Rick Barnes.

However, if you’re looking for championships, I am not confident Barnes will ever deliver. The year with Schofield and Williams a couple of seasons ago was the time when the SEC Tournament and a Elite 8 (at least) were all there for the taking. It didn’t get done then, so it probably ain’t getting done in the future. This season ended with us getting bounced by a team we should have beaten by 10+ points. Kinda the usual story here.

Beating UK in the regular season and then losing to the Wildcats (and pretty much everyone else) when it really matters isn’t exactly something to get overly excited about. I am hopeful Barnes will deliver an SEC Tourney championship and some deep runs in the NCAAs, but I am not confident that I’ll ever see it.

In the meantime, I’ll enjoy having a respectable men’s basketball team to watch, as much as I am disappointed by the routine under-performances.
 
#308
#308
TN once again has overpaid for a coach that cannot get it done nor will he. He is a recruiting nightmare and before you say 5 stars, where is the inside presence ? Where is the true point guard ? Why is there nothing but stiffs on the bench especially on the bigger, inside players ? He signs too many players that he "doesn't like" after they get here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cherokee Orange and orangemadam
#309
#309
I hate to pile on but you have to laugh a little bit that the team that wanted him and he used to get a big raise here, UCLA, has now done better than us 2 years in a row with the coach they didn't want.
 
  • Like
Reactions: orangemadam and Tnphil
#310
#310
VolsSportsFan said:
I hate to pile on but you have to laugh a little bit that the team that wanted him and he used to get a big raise here, UCLA, has now done better than us 2 years in a row with the coach they didn't want.
Click to expand...
Just posted this same thing on another site. Cronin can flat coach.
 
#311
#311
Everyone saying they don’t care if Barnes retires, etc. are the same fans who were really worried he was going to UCLA. Now they act like they wish he had. He did a poor job coaching this team this year. Let’s hope he, the coaching staff, and players get it figured out next season. Will be nice if we can fill TBA next year!
 
  • Like
Reactions: OllVol
#312
#312
Cherokee Orange said:
Why is TN lucky to have coach Barnes? He is getting paid a King’s Ransom and delivers below expected results most of the time. Bottom line is that TN isn’t hanging Banners from the rafters and I don’t see this happening under Barnes. He is to old, tired and stubborn to adjust his offense and that is not going to change. Get prepared for under achieving mediocrity if TN continues to be satisfied with the results Barnes is putting on the court.
Click to expand...
I couldn’t have said it better. Old school coach that appears to make kids scared to death to make a mistake on offense. They play with lack of aggression, timid, and for whatever reason they’re better at squaring up to the wing with the ball than squaring up to the goal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cherokee Orange
#314
#314
Tnphil said:
Just posted this same thing on another site. Cronin can flat coach.
Click to expand...
Can he? 12 NCAAT appearances, 6 R64 losses, 4 R32 losses, 1S16....that type of success is what has people criticizing Barnes, (actually Barnes has more success), yet we are now applauding that success for Cronin? Interesting.
 
#316
#316
therealitytheory said:
This was the season that Shaka was finally going to make waves with Texas - and last night they flamed out vs TX-Abilene.

Two things come immediately to mind: we still came out WAY better on that deal....and be careful what you wish for.
Click to expand...

Funny enough last night I found an article from late January about Smart and how he's "proof it's good to be patient". And then this happens. Texas fans are already saying next year will be a step back so he may be in trouble.
 
  • Like
Reactions: therealitytheory
#317
#317
VolsSportsFan said:
Funny enough last night I found an article from late January about Smart and how he's "proof it's good to be patient". And then this happens. Texas fans are already saying next year will be a step back so he may be in trouble.
Click to expand...

I don’t think there is any doubt he takes a step back. He has two guys who are projected first round picks, a couple of veteran guards (who could come back but don’t have to), and last time I checked, Chandler and Mashack were both ranked higher than what Texas is bringing in.
 
#318
#318
Mightyvol said:
My point was he better learn why he lost this past team so history doesn’t repeat itself. CB is a good man and a good coach. However, his blending of 5* talent with developed talent appears lacking.
Click to expand...

Not to make excuses, but I wonder how much C-19 had to do with "blending time"?
 
#319
#319
bleedingTNorange said:
That Barnes deserves some serious heat
Click to expand...

Eh, I dont think you'll see much change in that. Both camps seem to be firmly entrenched. Those that are still pumping the company line and those that ready to move on aren't switching sides short of a low probability event.
 
#320
#320
savannahfan said:
Not to make excuses, but I wonder how much C-19 had to do with "blending time"?
Click to expand...
I am sure it factored but shouldn’t be an excuse for the lack of chemistry and “want to” this team played with. It was a pleasure to watch Grant , Admiral and company play. This team was tough to watch after the first third of the season. Something went wrong.
 
  • Like
Reactions: savannahfan
#321
#321
Orange Raid said:
Everyone saying they don’t care if Barnes retires, etc. are the same fans who were really worried he was going to UCLA. Now they act like they wish he had. He did a poor job coaching this team this year. Let’s hope he, the coaching staff, and players get it figured out next season. Will be nice if we can fill TBA next year!
Click to expand...
They’re the ones regurgitating the tired “ThIs Is WhY tExAs FiReD hIm!” line, as Texas remains winless in the tournament in the 6 years since they fired him.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Orange Raid and therealitytheory
#322
#322
Orange Raid said:
Everyone saying they don’t care if Barnes retires, etc. are the same fans who were really worried he was going to UCLA. Now they act like they wish he had. He did a poor job coaching this team this year. Let’s hope he, the coaching staff, and players get it figured out next season. Will be nice if we can fill TBA next year!
Click to expand...

It's not so much that I hope he retires or goes anywhere, but I hope he makes changes that many of us are skeptical that he will. Nothing is black and white and so simple as you love him to death or you want him gone. I think he was a great hire and what Tennessee needed......but he's also a guy that has a well earned reputation of not getting it done in the postseason. I and others want him to get it done in the NCAAT here. And when he has a year like this where after Mizzou we're talking FF and it ends with an embarrassing first round beatdown by an average at best Oregon St. team.....it doesn't help the enthusiasm.

I get the "don't you like making the NCAAT" stuff and yes I do but I also want to expect to go further, not just fall back on "Well at least we made it!" I'm no longer buying the hype with Barnes, he's going to have to prove to me he can get it done in March.
 
#323
#323
VolsSportsFan said:
And you don't think Buzz f'n Peterson didn't play a huge part in why a guy like Wingate didn't develop at all?

Chris Lofton was 3rd team All American his freshman year; I'm calling some BS on Pearl "really developing him".

Pearl didn't work a miracle; I give him credit for what he did but a competent coach gets that team in the NCAAT the year before.
Click to expand...
Lorton was 3rd team FRESHMAN AA. Not 3rd AA
 
#324
#324
therealitytheory said:
This was the season that Shaka was finally going to make waves with Texas - and last night they flamed out vs TX-Abilene.

Two things come immediately to mind: we still came out WAY better on that deal....and be careful what you wish for.
Click to expand...
Shaka seemed like a can’t miss. You just never know with these mid majors.
Oats was coaching his high school ball just a few years ago.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top