After a brief search following the dismissal of Donnie Tyndall, Tennessee announced its new men's basketball head coach. Rick Barnes, formerly of the other UT (Texas), becomes the 20th men's head basketball coach at Tennessee.
Here are a few facts on the new headman.
1. He has coached at 10 universities, at five he served in an assisting coach position: North State Academy, Davidson, George Mason, Alabama and Ohio State. At George Mason, Providence, Clemson, Texas and Tennessee, Barnes headed the program.
2. He is a 1977 graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne College where he was a member of the men's basketball team.
3. Born July 17, 1954 in Hickory, North Carolina, Barnes is a Cancer in the Zodiac calendar. Cancers are known for optimism, sensitivity and intuition.
4. He coached Texas from 1998 to 2015, taking the team to the NCAA Tournament at the conclusion of seventeen seasons, including a Final Four appearance led by T. J. Ford in 2003.
5. The year Barnes was born, Emmitt Lowery was the coach of the University of Tennessee; he coached from 1947-59 with a record of 169-110 or a .606 won-loss percentage.
6. At every stop in Barnes career, he has been a proven winner at the highest levels of college basketball. He has produced 23 total NBA draft picks and 13 first-rounders. Additionally, he has coached four consensus first-team All-Americans.
7. Barnes ranks ninth among active winningest coaches in Division I and ranks first in the Southeastern Conference.
8. Barnes, 60, went 402-180 during his tenure in Austin. He won three Big 12 regular-season championships and reached the NCAA tournament in each of his first 14 seasons there. Under his direction, Texas reached the Final Four in 2003 and made two other Elite Eight appearances. The Longhorns were ranked No. 1 in the country for the first time in school history during the 2009-10 season.
9. Barnes six-year contract at UT pays him $2.25 million annually.
10. Rick Barnes wife, Candy, graduated in 1975 from the University of Tennessee with a degree in biology. She lived in Morrill Hall while a co-ed on Rocky Top. He often made the trip down I-40 from Hickory to court his bride-to-be.
11. NBA superstar and reigning MVP, Kevin Durant considers Barnes not only his coach, but also his father figure.
Sources- http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/emmett-lowery-1.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Barnes, http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/12582050/rick-barnes-says-wanted-stay-texas-longhorns-coach, http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2015/03/31/tennessee-hires-rick-barnes-college-basketball/70714238/, http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2015/03...
