Legendary College Hoops Coach Shares Unique Philosophy.
Tennessee Volunteers head coach, Rick Barnes, is a finalist for the NCAA basketball Hall of Fame. In his nearly 50 years as a coach, Barnes has led his teams to eight Sweet Sixteens, three Elite Eights, a Final Four, and in 2019 was named national coach of the year. His love for the game began in the small town of Hickory, North Carolina.
“I remember walking in the Kenworth Elementary School gym one day,” said Barnes, “and all I had on was a pair of cut off shorts, I was barefooted, didn’t have a shirt on, and the superintendent, he tossed a ball and said, ‘Shoot it.’ And I know that’s the first time I ever shot a basketball.
But as I really got to the 8th grade is when I just forgot about all the other sports and started concentrating on basketball.”
Will Dawson: “What made you want to get into coaching?”
Rick Barnes: “It started with those teachers in the 8th grade because they were all coaches. And I knew at that point in time I wanted to do what they did. I wanted to be able to impact young people. But those are the real reasons I think that God led me into coaching.”
God was important to Barnes. As a teenager, he made a profession of faith. “Ninth, tenth grade, I listened to a Billy Graham crusade. And I remember vividly getting on my knees in front of the TV and asking Jesus to truly become a part of my life,” recalled Barnes.
Barnes coached at George Mason, Providence, and Clemson.
Then in 1998 he became the head coach of the Texas Longhorns. In 2003, he led the team to their first Final Four in nearly 60 years. Professionally he was on top.
Personally, his relationships had become strained. “Pride, jealousy, coveting, you name it. I wasn’t the husband I should be. I wasn’t the father I should be, the coach I should be, because I started making it about me.”
