Perspective from an avid Texas basketball fan

#1
iKrager

iKrager

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#1
Solid solid article from a long time Texas basketball fan, it's a long read, but if you're interested in Rick Barnes, it's worth the read.

Rick Barnes' Future At Texas: Is It Time To Make A Change? - Burnt Orange Nation

I'll sum it up

- Says Rick Barnes runs a 'fun to watch' offense.

- Is not a good in-game coach, which frustrated fans.

- His teams always crash the boards hard.

- Solid recruiter, he obtained success at Texas by winning the state in terms of recruiting. (He has to do that at Tennessee in order to be successful.)

- The last few years at Texas, Rick Barnes had talented rosters but failed to achieve much including an NIT appearance in 2013-14 and getting knocked out this year by Butler (who Tennessee beat with an 'inferior' roster).

- The fans didn't think Barnes would ever return to a Final Four and they didn't believe he has the potential to win a national championship.

- A change of scenery might be good for Barnes; he faced a lot of fan adversity and his teams played "like they were tense".


And a quote that may help answer what he can do with the current roster:

There's no question that Barnes can excel with an underwhelming roster. Most of his most impressive coaching has been precisely this: coaching up a group with low expectations to a surprisingly good season. For that reason alone, if he's let go at Texas, Barnes will be a great hire for someone in need of that skill.
Click to expand...


If the deal does close, I'm happy with Barnes. Though Brad Underwood would have been a great hire, I think Barnes can put Tennessee on the map in terms of recruiting and being a competitive team in the SEC. I hope the players we currently have on our roster stay because it was fun watching them grow this year and I'm excited to watch them grow even more.
 
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#3
#3
I just hope he doesn't have Fulmeritis and is burned out after a stellar career. If not, he could be good for the Vols. Maybe a change of scenery will give his career a second wind. If not, well-----------here we go again.
 
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#4
#4
His ability to recruit here will be the key. Kentucky is always loaded under Coach Cal, and Florida, under Coach Donavan, usually has a talented roster as well. We MUST get our talent level up, just as Butch Jones has done with football, to be able to compete with the leagues best.

I think Coach Barnes will do well here. He's an established coach with a good track record, and will have some of the best facilities in the nation to sell to future prospects. Not to mention Knoxville is an attractive city to live in during college years and beyond. We must be patient and supportive because this program is in shambles and will not be fixed overnight. Give him a couple years to recruit his players and I expect we will be regulars again in the NCAA tournament. I don't expect to be winning national championships here, as Tennessee is a football school, and that will always be priority for this university. I do believe we can be respectable and regulars in the tourney reaching the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 on occasion.

Barnes isn't exactly a youngster, but I believe his time here can fix the program and make this a much more attractive job for whoever takes over hopefully after he decides to retire on his own terms because he's done well here. Same scenario as we would have had after Bruce left if it wasn't for the looming NCAA violations and sanctions.

Overall, I'm very happy with this hire considering it gets finalized. I'd loved to have had Marshall, Smart, Miller, etc, but this was possibly the best realistic hire we could have hoped for.
 
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#5
#5
I can't help thinking how his team was smoked by the Bruce Pearl coached UT team and Chris Lofton.
 
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#6
#6
The part about him succeeding with an underwhelming roster is true. When he got to Clemson, the talent level on his team that first season was absolutely atrocious by ACC standards. Most people thought for sure that they'd lose 20 or more games that season. Wade Houston's last UT team had better talent on paper. Barnes went 15-13 and got Clemson to the NIT, and he lost his best player just a few games into the season to academics.

But he's never done as well as you'd expect when he's had a roster with a lot of talented players, and that was his downfall at Texas. If he's the guy for UT next year, I figure we'll probably have a better year than we expect, because he's always done a good job with teams that have limited ability. The question will be what Barnes can do with any talent that he brings in.
 
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#8
#8
I know. By the same logic, we shouldn't have hired Butch Jones because he lost a game to Derek Dooley.
 
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#13
#13
Does everyone not realize Chris Lofton's UT teams were really, really good? That same UT team--a year after the Lofton three over Durant and big win in Austin--had a great Ohio State team, that finished national runner-up, beat in the Sweet Sixteen (when the officials intervened and UT also locked up). There is no shame in losing to those teams. Heck, Pearl beat the back-to-back title UF teams three of four with those teams.
 
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#14
#14
iKrager said:
Solid solid article from a long time Texas basketball fan, it's a long read, but if you're interested in Rick Barnes, it's worth the read.

Rick Barnes' Future At Texas: Is It Time To Make A Change? - Burnt Orange Nation

I'll sum it up

- Says Rick Barnes runs a 'fun to watch' offense.

- Is not a good in-game coach, which frustrated fans.

- His teams always crash the boards hard.

- Solid recruiter, he obtained success at Texas by winning the state in terms of recruiting. (He has to do that at Tennessee in order to be successful.)

- The last few years at Texas, Rick Barnes had talented rosters but failed to achieve much including an NIT appearance in 2013-14 and getting knocked out this year by Butler (who Tennessee beat with an 'inferior' roster).

- The fans didn't think Barnes would ever return to a Final Four and they didn't believe he has the potential to win a national championship.

- A change of scenery might be good for Barnes; he faced a lot of fan adversity and his teams played "like they were tense".


And a quote that may help answer what he can do with the current roster:




If the deal does close, I'm happy with Barnes. Though Brad Underwood would have been a great hire, I think Barnes can put Tennessee on the map in terms of recruiting and being a competitive team in the SEC. I hope the players we currently have on our roster stay because it was fun watching them grow this year and I'm excited to watch them grow even more.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a former football coach.
 
#15
#15
iKrager said:
Solid solid article from a long time Texas basketball fan, it's a long read, but if you're interested in Rick Barnes, it's worth the read.

Rick Barnes' Future At Texas: Is It Time To Make A Change? - Burnt Orange Nation

I'll sum it up

- Says Rick Barnes runs a 'fun to watch' offense.

- Is not a good in-game coach, which frustrated fans.

- His teams always crash the boards hard.

- Solid recruiter, he obtained success at Texas by winning the state in terms of recruiting. (He has to do that at Tennessee in order to be successful.)

- The last few years at Texas, Rick Barnes had talented rosters but failed to achieve much including an NIT appearance in 2013-14 and getting knocked out this year by Butler (who Tennessee beat with an 'inferior' roster).

- The fans didn't think Barnes would ever return to a Final Four and they didn't believe he has the potential to win a national championship.

- A change of scenery might be good for Barnes; he faced a lot of fan adversity and his teams played "like they were tense".

And a quote that may help answer what he can do with the current roster:

If the deal does close, I'm happy with Barnes. Though Brad Underwood would have been a great hire, I think Barnes can put Tennessee on the map in terms of recruiting and being a competitive team in the SEC. I hope the players we currently have on our roster stay because it was fun watching them grow this year and I'm excited to watch them grow even more.
Click to expand...

Also with a short extension that tells recruits there is not much future history at this school with CRB, so it does tie the hands of a coach.
 
#17
#17
I just don't see how this is such a secure hire. He's 60 years old starting over and instead of taking a chance on a mid major we are taking a chance on someone that was just let go at Texas.Everyone is excited about a hire that we hope is not already out of his prime years.I really like him and hope he does great here but I think this was more of a Hart not wanting to lose his job kind of hire.
 
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#18
#18
neyland05 said:
I just don't see how this is such a secure hire. He's 60 years old starting over and instead of taking a chance on a mid major we are taking a chance on someone that was just let go at Texas.Everyone is excited about a hire that we hope is not already out of his prime years.I really like him and hope he does great here but I think this was more of a Hart not wanting to lose his job kind of hire.
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If he can give us 5-10 good years, and build a solid foundation, then he's done his job. Then we go out and get a guy to build it up higher. I think Byrd would've been better for this plan, but Barnes will work.
 
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#19
#19
Barnes is fine by me. I don't envision a Kentucky-like dynasty, but then, I don't envision a Pearl/Tyndall embarrassment either.
 
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#21
#21
Special Ed said:
I can't help thinking how his team was smoked by the Bruce Pearl coached UT team and Chris Lofton.
Click to expand...

Alright, if you want to make sweeping generalizations based off of one game, take a look at the most recent UT-UT match up and tell me what you think.

^late to the punch lol
 
#22
#22
Hart doesn't have a lot of options here.

He's got a coach with a proven track record who is obviously the most qualified candidate available in this cycle. The man is married to a TN grad so there is a connection.

If he hires an up and coming coach, and that coach doesn't work out, Hart will be eviscerated. Everyone will talk about how Barnes was available but Hart took and chance on an unproven coach after previously having taken a chance on a coach with a poor NCAA history. I just don't think he can take that risk. At least this way, if for some reason Barnes isn't successful here, Hart can always say that he was clearly the best candidate available at the time and had a track record of success everywhere he had been. :twocents:
 
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#23
#23
volroadwarrior said:
I just hope he doesn't have Fulmeritis and is burned out after a stellar career. If not, he could be good for the Vols. Maybe a change of scenery will give his career a second wind. If not, well-----------here we go again.
Click to expand...

Yeah, if burned out is playing in 3 NYD Bowls in his last 5 years (won 2) and playing in 2 SECCGs, I hope Butch gets burned out and has his worst stretch of coaching look like this in his last five years after a run of 13 staight NYD bowls, 2 SEC championships and a National Championship.

Idiots take every opportunity to take a shot at a true Volunteer who took Volunteer football to heights it hasn't seen since Neyland's hey day.

Barnes is a proven winner and a class act. He will represent the University well and win.
 
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#24
#24
Sandvol said:
This hire is a patch job from an insecure bumble headed athletic director.
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You're right, and I wouldn't have done this if I were the AD, but honestly, the chances are very good that Barnes will be successful, both short-term and long-term. He's always done his best work with teams that were limited talent-wise, like we'll be next year. And we know he can recruit, so he'll be able to build things back up. I think there's a fairly low ceiling on this hire, and I'd rather have taken a chance on a young coach with a high ceiling, but at least with Barnes, there's a high floor. I think the worst he does is put us on the NCAA bubble every March from 2017 onward, while the best is put us in the Sweet 16.
 
#25
#25
volroadwarrior said:
I just hope he doesn't have Fulmeritis and is burned out after a stellar career. If not, he could be good for the Vols. Maybe a change of scenery will give his career a second wind. If not, well-----------here we go again.
Click to expand...

cause 1 bad year when riddled with injuries when the year before your in SEC CG means your burnt out and done?

Good lord I wish the stupidity would end with this crap.

It was a huge mistake getting rid of Fulmer, anyone who can't see that is blind and in serious denial over falling for Hamilton's Lies and feeding his vendetta.

People really need to stop with the fulmer wisecracks because he does not deserve it.

UT football would be nothing but a 60 year old memory without him.
 
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