Rick Barnes wanted to stay...partial article...

[drp1tt]

You can read the entire article on ESPN.com


Barnes confirmed Patterson told him a few days ago he had to fire members of his coaching staff or be fired himself. That ultimatum was leaked to the media Thursday, publicly turning up the pressure on Barnes and his assistants. Barnes blamed the leaks on the athletic department but didn't name any individuals behind them.
"I was shocked," by the leaks, Barnes said. "I couldn't do that. That would be me saying this is about me. I've been carried by a lot of people here. We're in this together."
Barnes said his staff offered to quit but he refused to let them.
Patterson did not attend the news conference.
The university released a statement announcing a mutual agreement to part ways that included a comment from Patterson thanking Barnes for his service. But Barnes left no doubt that he was fired.
"I don't want anyone to think I'm bitter," Barnes said. "Do those emotions rage up inside you? Yeah, they do. I told Steve I wanted a chance to finish the job."
Texas said it will begin a national search for Barnes' replacement immediately.
Two coaches interested in the Texas opening and who will be in the mix to replace Barnes are VCU's Shaka Smart, according to sources.

 

[CentPaPittFan]

I couldn't care less about Rick Barnes..........................Happy Trails.

2003 One of the biggest NCAA Seeding scams in history. Texas gets a gift wrapped final four trip with all home games after having NOT winning their regular season or their tournament..............I may be wrong but National Media was just as complicit....... Texas Point guard won national honors but Oklahoma guard was b12 player of the year? Maybe I am not remembering correctly.

But the regional site was one of the few with 1000's of unsold tickets......Texas was given that spot so tickets could be sold.

 

[PITTLAW]

Reply

Why is this news? Man gets cancer and wishes he didn't? Man goes bankrupt and wishes he had money? Of course Barnes wanted to stick around....that's why he was fired--Texas did not want his services any more. Don't feel too sorry for Barnes. Texas will pay off his contract and he will either be a commentator for a year or get another job coaching. The man has been stealing millions from Texas considering what he has delivered over the years. Some schools and alumni are not willing to accept just a trip to the Dance...they want more. Hail to Pitt!

 

[thebadby2]

I'm sure he did.......

he isn't gonna get a better job than that one--ever.

I'd say Greg Marshall is about to start eating way better BBQ and listening to way better live music than he's used to in Wichita.

 

[Harve74]

Re: I'm sure he did.......

Whoever gets the job, Marshall or Shaka Smart, will get a nice raise. They are almost certainly better floor coaches but the jury is out on whether they can recruit as well. Neither has done that at the P-5 level.

It will be interesting to see how Texas's strategy bears fruit. They had coaches in both revenue sports who recruited well but under achieved on the playing court/field. Now they have been pro-active and dumped both. With the LHN, they have the resources to recover even if they make bad hires.

So far, it is hard to say if Charlie Strong is going to be an improvement on Mack Brown.

 

[TD_6082]

Mack Brown rebuilt Texas, won a National Title, played in another title game, and won another Fiesta Bowl... had God knows how many 10 win seasons. I think its unfair to say he underachieved. ...His last 4 or 5 years things fell apart and it was probably time for a change, but I don't think you can throw a blanket statement on it and say he underachieved.

Stupid move by Texas to can Barnes, imo. This is just another case of an Athletic Director wanting to hire their guy.

 

[Harve74]

Pretty much agree completely.

It will be an interesting situation to follow.

Might provide an object lesson for our future AD.

 

[UPitt129]

I'm not sure what you're getting at about 4 home games in 2003 for Texas. They played the opening games in Birmingham, which is 12 hours from Austin. San Antonio is close, but isn't much different from Louisville being placed in Indy two years ago, or 2 seed nova in NYC last year.

 

[thebadby2]

Re: I'm sure he did.......

Going from a mid-major in a media backwater to a brand name program with unlimited resources tends to bring out the recruiter in the guys that get those jobs. Marshall or Smart will have an embarrassment of riches at their disposal at their next stops. Then we'll really find out if they can coach.

After all, Rick Barnes was pretty good at places where the expectations weren't sky high as well.

Incidentally, looks like he's about to be hired at Tennessee. Evidently, one program's trash is another program's treasure, or whatever.....

 

[thebadby2]

But what kind of lesson does it provide if Marshall or Smart gets UTEX to the Final Four in their first couple of years on the job?

Just sayin'. I'm in the camp that Barnes' canning was entirely justified because he doesn't have the excuses of rrecruitmg difficulty, lack of resources/financial support, facilities, etc.

No excuse for him to accomplish less than Izzo, Bo Ryan, Donovan, or Matta. Texas is the kind of program that should be right in that group, but it isn't.

 

[Harve74]

I've always been in the camp that a single elimination tournament at season's end is great entertainment and provides bragging rights for the winners but is basically meaningless.

If a coach fails in the 25-30 game regular season, that has a greater impact on the program and justifies termination. The tournament, not so much.

The post-season is just gravy.

If Smart or Marshall succeed, great for them. If not Texas has the resources to start again.

If Barnes takes the Tennessee job, 1) he will probably recruit well there and get them to somewhere similar to where Bruce Pearl and Cuonzo Martin had them and 2) it shows that not winning in post-season tournaments doesn't make a coach untouchable for a P-5 job.

Not a lot of coaches have been fired when they were very successful in regular season but under achieved in post season. The Texas AD has now fired both his coaches. The odds are good that at least one of his hires will do worse than their predecessor. Personally, I hope both fail. I favor loyalty and stability over the "What have you done for me lately" attitude prevalent today.

 

[thebadby2]

Harve, I agree with you on most things and I always respect your thoughts. I'm of the opposite mindset about the NCAA tournament. Like all elimination playoff formats, it's the best way to determine a true, deserving champion. You have to run a gauntlet of teams that have earned their way into the tourney, and beat their very best effort to advance. A win in that format is a lot more impressive to me than one in December against Slippery Rock. In college hoops, it really is all about March. If the coaches and players feel that way, and they clearly do to a man, I'm not sure what basis one has to disagree with that. If it's really just about staunch defense of what Dixon has done at Pitt, I get it, but--he certainly is not above criticism. No rational fan really believes he should be let go, but I think its perfectly rational to expect him to continue to improve the program and be a legit contender for a deep run most years in March. He needs to take some action to fix what he has let happen here, I think that's hard to disagree with.


Regular season achievement is important, but lets say you get 10 non-conference wins by default every year because you schedule a bunch of weaklings. Is your 22-10 record at the end of the the regular season the same as the other guy's 22-10 record, where the other guy played 4-5 Power 5 heavies, some on the road or at neutral sites in its non-conference season? Is a woin in early January at home the same as a win in late March where you're playing for your life?

I agree with you that rampant coach-changing isn't good, but Barnes is a bad guy to use as an example there. He was at Texas for 15 long years. I think one Final Four in that span at a program that has as many advantages as UTEX has is a net failure.