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With multiple CBB insiders speculating that Barnes is on UT's short list (Thamel, Seth Davis, etc.), this is going to be a hot topic of discussion.

So do we want him?

Personally, either Wade or Underwood would excite me more than Barnes. I think if Barnes couldn't get Texas to win consistently at a championship level, his hopes of doing so at Tennessee are probably slim. And I don't much like the guy to start with. Wade and Underwood both seem to have significantly more upside.

On the other hand, what this program needs more than anything right now is stability. We can't afford a whiff and a miss on this hire, or we may find ourselves set all the way back to 1992-1993. Barnes might not be able to get the program to the next level, but he could at least get it back on solid footing, and I won't be surprised if Hart is taking a good, hard look at him.

Do.Not.Want
I agree with your preferences

I've never heard of any of them, so.... :wink:

Just got fired from Texas, where he had unlimited resources and a recruiting base better than 90% of the schools in the country.  Texas spends ore money on locker room fixtures that most schools do in it complete budget year.   I'm just not convinced that he's the guy to come in and extinguish the dumpster fire that is the UT program right now turn it around. 

16 tourneys in 17 years....I laugh at folks on UT boards that must think UT is a Duke or KY type job and we just have to go out and hire a top 10 coach. How many NC have we won here? If Pearl had Barnes overall record and gotten to the NCAA dance as much as Barnes has, folks would have made Pearl the governor of the damn state.

Lets just take a chance on some young gun that's never done crap and just do this coach search thing all over again in 3 years. If Barnes was interested (Don't think we'll out-bid Bama for him if they want him) and we hired him it would be very good for stability....a coach that's never had NCAA issues....a coach that would recruit good and most likely get us to the Dance a few times. He can get the program back to were it's respectable.....restock our talent...retire in 5-6 years and then maybe we can go out and hire a proven, winning basketball coach.

There are some good coaches out there I'd be happy with other than Barnes....But in fine UT fashion we'll go the cheap route and when he's announced we'll all have to go to Google to find out about the dude we just hired just like we did the last 2 coaches....And to be honest I had to do it when we hired Pearl too.

So, you go out a pay a guy who will demand top dollar who couldn't get it done with the resources he had at Texas to come in to this dumpster fire?  Doesn't make sense to me. 

I want somebody who is hungry to work and build a program and make his name, and not somebody on the downside of his career who already has made enough money to last his, his children's, and his grandchildren's lifetimes. 

I think we can find a better fit.  Just don't see Barnes as a fit. 

Didn't say we couldn't find a better coach....I just know we won't. We'll hire a Tyndall or CCM type...Someone from a smaller school that's never done anything to speak of. And he'll get a big pay raise to come here. Hope I'm wrong, but don't think I am. For some reason fans seem to think we need we will hire a coach that'll get us to a final 4....five out of ten years. Whoever we hire, it's going to be a long 2-3 seasons coming up.

So yes, I'd take Barnes over those types any day of the week. A lot of UT folks way over value the job here.

I don't over value it at all.  It's not a top 25 type job right now.  Not sure it's even a top 50 job at this point. 

His teams couldn't beat us when the were clearly more talented.

Though Lofton was a sniper from long range :powert:

Well, assuming Tyndall wasn't an apparent cheater, that's a small-school hire that would've worked out great for us. There's no doubt in my mind that, strictly from an Xs and Os standpoint, he's as good a coach or better than Bruce Pearl.

I can't say I disagree with Herb. I'm not going to complain about the Barnes hire if Hart decides to go that direction, but those other small school guys I mentioned previously rank higher on my list. This IS a must-connect hire for Hart and the program, and Barnes IS a safer choice in that regard, IMO, but I think there are several quality up-and-comers out there right now who could absolutely build this program.

This program is in dire straits right now, but with the right person in charge, there's no reason UT can't be the second-best basketball program in the SEC. It's going to take some patience and it's also going to require getting this right -- striking while the iron is hot. I firmly believe that we're seeing the basketball landscape change in the SEC right now the same way we saw the football landscape changed in the late '90s and early '00s.

I'm frankly shocked that anyone as established as Barnes would even be interested in this job.  That's not to say I want him- I don't.  But I also think we could do a lot worse (and our history suggests we probably will).  

OTOH, maybe a lot of us (myself included) have overstated the level of disrepair this program is in right now.  There IS a lot to like about this job- newly renovated arena (best in the SEC, IMO), fairly new practice facility, and when the program is rolling, our attendance will be in the top 3-4 in the country.  And lest we forget, all of the NCAA fallout from this ordeal is likely to fall on Tyndall himself, and not on UT.  There aren't going to be any penalties to deal with.  This isn't football, where it takes 4-5 years to turn over the roster.  The right coach who recruits the right players can be successful right away.  It's just a matter of finding the right guy and getting him to sign.

I'm not sure I agree that our disrepair is overstated. However, it's hard to deny the point you make when one considers the state of our roster after last season, and the fact that Tyndall had us competitive against Top 25 teams in year one.

If you believe the rumors, the SEC basketball landscape could be changing DRASTICALLY as soon as next week. :crazy:

Took his team to the NCAA tourney 19 of the last 21 years.  1 final 4, 2 elite 8's. The same people who are on the Rick Byrd (zero NCAA tourney wins) band wagon,  say Barnes can't win big in the tourney.   Go figure.  I would take him in a heart beat.

Spill yer guts.

Coach Cal back to the NBA rumor rampant again. 

Oh, I'm sure you've heard the talk just like I have.  The league's two highest-profile coaches may be testing the NBA waters.  I know we hear it every year (espcially when it comes to that goon up in Lexington), but it seems to be a bit more widespread this year.  

Just making sure we were on the same page. I've purposely ignored those rumors this year because that jackass Rex Chapman got my hopes up too much last season. But, oh, how I would love to see it happen. A Wisconsin win next weekend followed by a Cal departure to the Magic or the Wiz and Lexington might burn to the ground.

Donnovan being the other one, correct?

I think his kids are grown now.  If they are, it might be what he's been waiting on to give the NBA a shot. 

I'm a big Donovan fan but he might be wise to get out while the getting out is good. He certainly seems to have peaked.

Yep.  That's the rumor, anyway.

Btw, from the Jon Gruden department, it seems that Rick Barnes' wife is a Tennessee alumnus.  :biggrin:

But do they own property in Sevier or Jefferson Counties?   :naughty:

Rick Barnes led Texas to 16 NCAA tourney appearances while he was there. Texas isn't known for Basketball. They are a football school like Tennessee. I have no problem with UT hiring him. He can stay 5 or 6 years and stable like the program. After that some great young coach may want to come here.