Barnes gets contract extension through 2026-2027

[05_never_again]

The fact that some of you want to fire the best thing to happen to the program is flat out ridiculous.

Correct, but many in this forum think that UT is a top 10 basketball program all-time or something.

Barnes's results here are disappointing only if UT was a Duke/UK/UNC/Kansas-type basketball program. And Barnes has had great heads-up results against one of those programs since he got here. Everybody is aware of his March bugaboos but you really have to nitpick when complaining about him, IMO. I would be stunned if it was possible for us to go out and find a better head coach for this program at this point.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Not really. Mears never won an NCAA tournament game. He was 0-4 in the NCAA tournament. He did win 5 NIT games (5-2) but never got beyond the quarterfinals.

Apples and oranges. The teams weren’t seeded and there weren’t what would be easy first and second round opponents. Also, nobody really cared about the NCAAT.

 

[Chemvol]

Meant it was crazy that Mears and Boeheim were head coaches at the same time

Boeheim's first year as HC.

For some extra perspective, Coach K had just finished his second year at Army, and Rick Barnes was about to graduate from Lenoir-Rhyne.

 

[05_never_again]

Barnes will be 68 this summer.
Pearl is 62 or will be in a week or two.
Izzo is 67.
K is 75.
Pitino will be 70 before next season.
Boeheim 77.
Roy was 70 when he retired a year ago.
Bob Huggins is a year older than Barnes.

Ray Mears stepped down at 50 years old. He lost to Boeheim in his last game.

It's stereotyped as a young man's job, and it is, but it really is amazing how old those guys are. 70 is pretty old to be working a cush office job, much less HC of a big time college basketball program.

 

[Volfan1000]

Five years gives plenty time for the former assistants to audition for the next head ball coach. Unless TN is in the Sweet 16 2 or 3 times though, I doubt that he’ll stay for all 5 years. It’s for recruiting and also a message that TN won’t be running him off with what’s probably a $30 million buyout.

Under Barnes, competing reguarly for SEC championships and tournaments and getting into the NCAA Tournament every year is solid and perhaps Barnes will break the glass ceiling and get Tennessee to another Sweet 16 or Elite 8 one year would quiet those critics.

He probably does want to erase that stigma of not being able to get deep into the NCAA Tournament before retiring.

 

[volroadwarrior]

Ugh. was hoping he'd retire when this one was over.

Can you please tell me one--just one---SEC coach better than Barnes? There are always going to be sore heads who can't see past their crying towels.

 

[05_never_again]

Under Barnes, competing reguarly for SEC championships and tournaments and getting into the NCAA Tournament every year is solid and perhaps Barnes will break the glass ceiling and get Tennessee to another Sweet 16 or Elite 8 one year would quiet those critics.

He probably does want to erase that stigma of not being able to get deep into the NCAA Tournament before retiring.

He'll never be able to totally erase it at this point in his career. He's had far too many March early exits for it to totally go away. It isn't like he's never made a deep run - he's made multiple deep runs, but they are the exception rather than the rule.

I am really glad for him that he was able to finally win some hardware (SECT title) and hopefully he has at least one deep run left in him. It'd be an incredible way for him to go out if he was somehow able to get UT to its first Final Four.

 

[mr.checkerboards]

Can you please tell me one--just one---SEC coach better than Barnes? There are always going to be sore heads who can't see past their crying towels.

Musselman.

 

[CornbreadVol]

Musselman.

Not even close

 

[CornbreadVol]

Musselman.

Serious recency bias lol

 

[esarmstrong]

Apples and oranges. The teams weren’t seeded and there weren’t what would be easy first and second round opponents. Also, nobody really cared about the NCAAT.

The NIT was still a very big tournament during Mears tenure at Tennessee. If you didn't win an conference championship, you went home or played in the NIT, if you were lucky. I remember one year in the early 1970's we played St. Johns in the first round of the NIT and then Duke in the Quarter-finals. Lots of big names were in that tournament in those days. The NCAA tournament invited between 22-32 teams for the better part of Mears career. They had only started seriously expanding the NCAA tournament during the mid-1970's. Mears career was over by then.

 

[VolPack22]

Apples and oranges. The teams weren’t seeded and there weren’t what would be easy first and second round opponents. Also, nobody really cared about the NCAAT.

Yep some people don’t know that the NIT actually used to be the more desirable tournament. NCAA got their panties in a wad back in the day because some teams wanted to play in the NIT and eventually said you have to accept our bid or you will be prohibited from postseason play.

 

[mr.checkerboards]

Serious recency bias lol

Nope, game day give me EM. Recruiting give me Cal. If you want to talk program as a whole then id put Barnes up there.

 

[walkenvol]

I thought after last season everyone had jumped on the Oats train? Has the shine worn off already?

 

[BigBadVol]

Most of us hope you’d quit posting, but we can’t always get our way in life.

LOL! Perfect!

 

[JL24]

Just an extension, but no raise?

Sounds like my pecker

 

[vettefool]

Good, odds of finding anyone better to lead the program are slim to none, give me a top 25 team basically every year and top 10 every so often and I’m happy, would be the same with football too.

Well I disagree somewhat. Tennessee hasn’t been a basketball power consistently, you could argue seldom. Barnes and before him Mears and Pearl made the Vols somewhat a semi power in basketball. Is that the best we can do? Maybe so, but I hope once in a while we could get to sweet 16 or elite 8. Just maybe a final 4 once in a couple of decades. Im doubting Barnes will meet these hopes. As far as football, I expect a top 20 most years and a top 10 or higher every few years. Is that too much to hope for?

 

[Delmar]

There are going to be triggered posters. Fact!

I hope they are all enjoying the news. I know I am, just to hear the whining and gnashing of teeth.

 

[Vols8086]

Correct, but many in this forum think that UT is a top 10 basketball program all-time or something.

Barnes's results here are disappointing only if UT was a Duke/UK/UNC/Kansas-type basketball program. And Barnes has had great heads-up results against one of those programs since he got here. Everybody is aware of his March bugaboos but you really have to nitpick when complaining about him, IMO. I would be stunned if it was possible for us to go out and find a better head coach for this program at this point.

I don't think many on here believe it is a top 10 program, but it probably is a top 20 program now.

I also don't get why so many on here feel the need to dump on the UT program in their effort to prop up Barnes. Over the last 15 or so years we have had 3 totally different coaches make the sweet 16 and each sign at least one 5 star basketball recruit. UT basketball isn't a blue blood, but its a program that has shown an ability to be successful on multiple fronts with totally different styles and personalities at the helm.

2 things can be true: Barnes can be good for the program and the program can also have the infrastructure in place to be successful.

As an aside, good for Barnes and makes sense to have the constant 4 year contract for recruiting. Makes sense.

 

[DuckInAPen]

Ugh. was hoping he'd retire when this one was over.

Boooooooooo!

 

[TrumpedUpVol]

Well I disagree somewhat. Tennessee hasn’t been a basketball power consistently, you could argue seldom. Barnes and before him Mears and Pearl made the Vols somewhat a semi power in basketball. Is that the best we can do? Maybe so, but I hope once in a while we could get to sweet 16 or elite 8. Just maybe a final 4 once in a couple of decades. Im doubting Barnes will meet these hopes. As far as football, I expect a top 20 most years and a top 10 or higher every few years. Is that too much to hope for?

Barnes underachieves in March and, as luck would have it, Tennessee also (historically) underachieves in March. One can try to chalk up Barnes' shortcomings to the big stage/unpreparedness for the game plan adjustments related to alternate timeout lengths, sure, but a power conference program making the Tournament 24 times and only having one Elite Eight to show for it is bananas and speaks to the unpredictability of March Madness; great programs/coaches continuously make deep runs and have myriad titles/banners to show for it, and small schools/random programs occasionally catch fire and win their region, yet Tennessee fits into neither category.

Barnes is on fire when it comes to recruiting, has almost his entire coaching roster/staff hired into better paying external positions (establishing his tree), sees that the Vols are ranked in the Top 25 every season (not to mention Top 15/10/5, as is frequently the case) and ensures that Thompson-Boling is routinely sold out. This program is absolutely in the best spot it has ever been and certainly commands national respect in the circles that matter; it sucks that the Vols don't make the Sweet Sixteen/Elite Eight/Final Four as much as we would like, but you have to walk before you run to ensure consistent success (what's South Carolina's Final Four worth?) and Rick Barnes has this program walking like a ************.

 

[Other_Guy]

Ugh. was hoping he'd retire when this one was over.

Yes that way we could go out and hire... uh... um...

 

[Clad in Big Orange]

Musselman is the current johnny-come-lately who gets way too much media love. Remember Shaka Smart?

 

[golfballs]

Musselman.

He is a very good coach. Turned Nevada around and made a S16 there. Ironically his last year there was probably his worst coaching job. I think they were like a pre season top 10 team but ended up losing in the first round to a fairly mediocre Florida team.

He’s turned Arkansas around. I do think they’ve gotten a bit lucky in the tourney. Eked by TTU to get to the S16 where they faced oral Roberts. And this year a s16 beating Vermont and New Mexico St.

Not prepared to say he’s a better coach than Barnes but he could end up being better

 

[mr.checkerboards]

He is a very good coach. Turned Nevada around and made a S16 there. Ironically his last year there was probably his worst coaching job. I think they were like a pre season top 10 team but ended up losing in the first round to a fairly mediocre Florida team.

He’s turned Arkansas around. I do think they’ve gotten a bit lucky in the tourney. Eked by TTU to get to the S16 where they faced oral Roberts. And this year a s16 beating Vermont and New Mexico St.

Not prepared to say he’s a better coach than Barnes but he could end up being better

I think hes better X's and O's. I think Barnes is a better program builder. Barnes is the guy to get a program to where TN is now, Musselman is the guy to take that program to a FF.