VTTW Board Index

Rick Barnes, ladies and gentlemen!

Yep. Took a day longer than expected to announce, but huge none the less. 

Deacon Barnes is doing some 'crootin. 

Saw this.....

247 sports has a list of TN's all-time best recruits.  Rick has 4 on that list:

#9 in TN history - Corey Walker Jr.
#6 - Josiah James
#4 - Keon Johnson
#3 - Jaden Springer

Sure seems like TN bball is here to stay.   :dude:

The 2020  class is insane, and not done. Likely we add 4 star 6'10 Dylan Cardwell.

And yet arguably the two best players in UT history were 2-3 star nobodies. It’s great to have the 5* All-Americans, but you have to develop a supporting cast for them, too. Fortunately Barnes has proven his mettle in this area, as well. :thumbup:

Disagree on that one. 

Bernard King is the greatest player in UT basketball history.  He was far from a "2-3 star" nobody in his day. It took Stu Aberdeen spending literally over 50 days in a row keeping him away from college coaches from all over the country. 

Dale Ellis was also a very highly recruited player, and he's certainly in the top 3-4 in UT history.  Don Devoe had to battle all of the big boys for him. 

Just to show my old cynical self, I am still in "show me" mode about Barnes elite coaching talents. He is above average.  He had a great team last year but failed to even win a SEC title. He also had Durrant at Texas and didn't win a title. But my hat is off to him for this recruiting run he is on. Hopefully he is on his way to ending his "can't win the big one" label. Just realize, if he has an abundance of 5* talent,  just making the dance will not be enough. Why shouldn't we expect final 4's and finals?

Where was Allen Houston?

I think GW is a bit better, nothing against Bernard. I'd rate Bernard 2. Lofton 3, Houston 4

I can be a tad bit negative myself, but I'm glad I'm not one of those miserable people who just can't seem to find pleasure or joy in anything at all.

Bernard was a superstar from day one in both college and pro's. I saw him play more than a few times. I love Williams though. But he will never be a franchise type player.

Doesn't mean a lot folks don't feel the same way i do about Barnes. Doesn't mean I am miserable or don't enjoy their success. Doesn't it make you mad that he couldn't beat Pearl with the best Vol team in years.  Never have said Barnes was a bad coach. He is really good. If he keeps going the way he has been, we may see some GREAT runs. I am counting on it. But I also understand it takes a lot of things to come together at the right time and lots of luck for anyone to win a title.

Was I disappointed that Tennessee didn't beat Auburn? Of course. Was I mad? Not in the least. I love the culture Rick Barnes has built at Tennessee. Love it. Last year's team was my favorite sports team ever, in any sport at any level. We could be struggling to make the NCAA Tournament under Cuonzo. Or, even better, we could flip back to the '90s where we either a.) significantly under-achieved under a coach like Wade Houston, b.) played the most boring brand of basketball the world has ever seen under Kevin O'Pottymouth, or c.) had an unlikeable team under a coach like Jerry Green -- whose late-season collapses were far worse than anything Barnes has put together.

But it's not just basketball. You literally seem to look for the negative in EVERYTHING, at least everything that is Vol sports-related. Hey, it's your life and to each his own. I'm just saying I'm glad I can look at the fact that Barnes has commitments from three 5-star players in a single class and instead of seeing the negative in it I can wonder, "You know, if Barnes can achieve what he achieved with 2- and 3-star players, what is he going to do with a team full of 5-star players?"

THIS :evillaugh:

Coach cookout had the Pick-A-Nicknames peaking at the right time last year.  It happens, good for him and the Tigers.

• Vols land another 5 star recruit.
• "Vol fan" poster posts yeah but Pearl beat us.

(https://media.giphy.com/media/hyMFaxhuQkZTq/giphy.gif)

You can't say "I'm in show me mode" and two posts later say "I am counting on it".  Seriously why do you crap on every positive post there is?  Beats all I've ever seen.

Yep, last year was lightning in a bottle for BP.

Nut, Bernard was a three time AA AND three time SECPOY.  He played 14 seasons (actually just over 11 full seasons because of injuries) in the NBA and was a 4 time All Star.  He averaged 23 PPG in the NBA, and he's in the Naismith Basketball HOF. 

I love Grant Williams, but there is no way he is ever going to have those numbers or earn those designations.  He'll be a good role player, but he is not near the player - either at UT nor in the NBA - that King was. 

 

Yeah, but I can't get past the fact that they lost in the Semis.  I know making the FF for the first time in school history is quite an accomplishment, and I would feel good about if I were an Auburn fan, but Pearl really has to win it all. I think he might be a "make it to the final four without winning" coach, and that's just not acceptable.

UT's class stands at No.4 right now :powert:

I love it! I've always thought UT could compete at the highest level in bball. We've been knocking on the door!

I'm counting on him to show me he can do more with more.

Old guy here.  Agree 100%.  Bernard King.  Period, end of sentence, end of discussion in my closed-minded opinion.


 :old:

The KING of the Volunteers!

My Dad says the same thing, BK is still the GOAT for TN men's bball.

I used to love watch him and Darden hook up on some great passes and alley-oops. The Dauber.

BK definitely had the best NBA career of any former Vol.  He was unstoppable for the Nets, from what I've heard, until he was slowed by a devastating injury.  Led the NBA in scoring in 1984-85, which I believe he's the only former Vol to do so.

I think I am biased towards GW because I actually saw him play while Bernard was before my time as a Vol fan. It's actually really difficult to compare players from two different eras.

Don't doubt that.

But that was a pretty danged good era, too.  Look at the number of players from that era in the SEC who are in the hall of fame, and it wasn't still a white player era, either.  And I don't mean that in any way racial, just in a reality way. 

King also had to share the ball, just like Grant did.  Ernie Grunfeld and Mike Jackson were every bit as good as were Admiral and any of Grant's other team mates.  Plus King played in an era that didn't have the three point line or a shot clock.  Put those two in during King's career at UT and his numbers are much higher. 

I look at it this way.  Put Grant in King's era and he's still a very good player.  Put King in Grant's era, and he is still a superstar. He had no weakness in his game. 

If the 3 point goals existed when he played, Jackson would hold  the Tennessee record, I have zero doubt

I consider King the greatest VOL I ever saw play
King could shoot out to about 15 feet, rebounded the best of any forward I have ever seen and was an underrated passer.  Also, he was the most fierce competitor I have ever seen, perhaps more so than Al Wilson.  When a fan threw a cigarette in his hair in Lex he vowed to never lose to KY again, and he didn't.
To have a front row seat (I did once) to a King vs Robey/Phillips battle was to witness true combat under the basket and King more than held his on (he threw Phillips off his back into my lap)
King played a LOT more low post than Grant, far more - different era

Ernie G the most intelligent (ask Kevin Grevey)
King benefited greatly from Ernie G's passing but it worked both ways.  They were unselfish with the ball Ernie would give up a 10-15' jumper for a King layup/dunk.  Teams would often double up King front and back and the front guy would react to Ernie, leaving King 1v1 with a guy backing him, who knew he was beat before the ball arrived in King's hands
They both would feed each other driving the lane.

It was a great era for Tennessee BB, led by the original carnival maestro Ray Mears

The last two years with Grant and Admiral were great but my $$$ rests with Ernie & Bernie (STILL have the SI cover)

ERNIE AND BERNIE!   :biggrin: