Rick Barnes emerges as candidate at UCLA

[GwillMac6 20,656]

 

[GwillMac6 20,656]

ByEVAN DANIELS 2 hours ago

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes has emerged as a serious candidate in UCLA's head coaching search, multiple sources tell 247Sports.

The Bruins have had a winding coaching search since parting ways with Steve Alford on Dec. 31. Among the names that have been linked to the UCLA coaching search in the last week have been Jamie Dixon and Mick Cronin. Dixon's $8 million buyout with TCU — a sum the Bruins were unwilling to pay — kept a deal from getting done. 

Barnes signed a contract extension with Tennessee last fall, giving him an annual salary of $3.25 million, the second-highest in the SEC, behind Kentucky's John Calipari. Under that extension, Barnes' buyout is $5 million.  

Barnes, 64, has been at the helm at Tennessee for the past four years, compiling a 88-50 record. This past season was one of the best campaigns in school history; the Volunteers went 31-6, earning a share of the regular season SEC title, and making a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. Barnes was named the 2019 Naismith Coach of the Year. 

63COMMENTS

Prior to his time at Tennessee, Barnes spent the previous 17 seasons at Texas. Barnes led the Longhorns to a Final Four in 2003. In 32 years of coaching, the Hickory, North Carolina, native has 24 NCAA Tournament appearances (24-24). UCLA was 17-16 this season, missing the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four seasons (the Bruins lost a First Four game last year). Alford amassed a 124-63 record in Westwood before his firing. 

Tennessee assistant Rob Lanier was hired as Georgia State's new head coach on April 5. Off its 2018-19 roster, Tennessee loses Admiral Schofield to graduation, while point guard Jordan Bone told 247Sports last week he was declaring for the NBA Draft with the full intent of going pro. Back-to-back SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams, a junior, has not made any announcements about his future but is expected to at least test the NBA Draft waters. The Volunteers have the current No. 29 class in the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings for the class of 2019, headlined by five-star combo guard Josiah-Jordan James. 

[doverstutts 1,643]

i am reading about this this morning....thats kinda' a suprise to me

[TigerOne 1,140]

That would be a big blow to Tennessee.

Just like if Bruce left for someplace else, which I don't believe he ever will.

[aujeff11 6,243]

I wouldn’t rule out VFL going back to Tennessee either. Greene is being complacent if  hasn't already ordered bank trucks with freshly printed money to back into Bruce’s driveway.

[Mikey 16,565]

It's a fun rumor and I suppose could be true, but why Barnes would want to leave Tennessee for UCLA is a mystery to me. Don't give me money. UT can match whatever is necessary and once someone is making over 3 million a year a few more bucks shouldn't matter anyway.

[Mikey 16,565]

14 minutes ago, aujeff11 said:

I wouldn’t rule out VFL going back to Tennessee either. Greene is being complacent if  hasn't already ordered bank trucks with freshly printed money to back into Bruce’s driveway.

Online reports are that in addition to his base 2.6 million salary, Bruce has earned 400,000 in incentives. That should be a good start and there will certainly be a raise in the offing. I'm not concerned about Bruce being pirated away.

[aujeff11 6,243]

4 minutes ago, Mikey said:

Online reports are that in addition to his base 2.6 million salary, Bruce has earned 400,000 in incentives. That should be a good start and there will certainly be a raise in the offing. I'm not concerned about Bruce being pirated away.

I read earlier that there would be an offer within a week after the season ended. Now is the time to bring out the checkbook . A significant portion of the Tennessee fanbase are Bruce loyalists that want him back. 

[Mikey 16,565]

5 minutes ago, aujeff11 said:

I read earlier that there would be an offer within a week after the season ended. Now is the time to bring out the checkbook . A significant portion of the Tennessee fanbase are Bruce loyalists that want him back. 

I think virtually all of them would like to have Bruce back. Those I know would love to have him back. They also don't think it's a possibility. Unless I'm badly fooled, Coach Pearl isn't going anywhere.

[aujeff11 6,243]

2 minutes ago, Mikey said:

I think virtually all of them would like to have Bruce back. Those I know would love to have him back. They also don't think it's a possibility. Unless I'm badly fooled, Coach Pearl isn't going anywhere.

I hope so. IM AN INSECURE AUBURN BASKETBALL FAN OKAY!

[doverstutts 1,643]

19 minutes ago, Mikey said:

I think virtually all of them would like to have Bruce back. Those I know would love to have him back. They also don't think it's a possibility. Unless I'm badly fooled, Coach Pearl isn't going anywhere.

any possible chance of him leaving should be dealt with as soon as possible, and done in a way to lock the door and throw away the key

[Gene Loblaw 636]

What an embarrassingly bad look it’d be for Tennessee to both lose their b-ball coach and then go out and get rejected by their ex coach too. Would be hilarious 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

 

[GwillMac6 20,656]

 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

I’m happy about this, just Bc Fulmer’s first call would more than likely had been Bruce

[Tigger1985 806]

He just wanted a raise

[Mikey 16,565]

2 hours ago, Maverick.AU said:

I’m happy about this, just Bc Fulmer’s first call would more than likely had been Bruce

Fulmer may have called Bruce. Do you think there's any chance in hell that he'd be interested? I don't. There will probably be 20 or so discrete calls this spring and summer wanting to know if Bruce is interested. He's not exactly a secret.

[Gene Loblaw 636]

Damn lol. Tennessee may now be drastically over paying for a coach that hasn’t accomplished all that much. They just got Gus’d to Arkansas’d

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

7 hours ago, Mikey said:

Fulmer may have called Bruce. Do you think there's any chance in hell that he'd be interested? I don't. There will probably be 20 or so discrete calls this spring and summer wanting to know if Bruce is interested. He's not exactly a secret.

I don’t think so, and I’ve even said so before that I didn’t think bruce would ever leave here. The only school that would give me even the slight pause though would be UT, but I agree, I still thought those chances were slim to none, but I don’t like leaving things up to chance. Lol

[AU64 10,122]

9 hours ago, Mikey said:

Fulmer may have called Bruce. Do you think there's any chance in hell that he'd be interested? I don't. There will probably be 20 or so discrete calls this spring and summer wanting to know if Bruce is interested. He's not exactly a secret.

UCLA has done a great job of helping other coaches up their salary...and can't seem to find anyone who wants to live in LA and make $2M a year I guess.

 

Their next coach will be about their seventh choice...gotta make the guy feel good when goes for an interview and hears...…"you were the guy we were always interested in"

[augolf1716 21,101]

Anyone one who takes the UCLA job is nuts.......................deathtrap for coaches

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

46 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

Anyone one who takes the UCLA job is nuts.......................deathtrap for coaches

 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

 

[augolf1716 21,101]

finally that's should get them bruins really really excited

[GwillMac6 20,656]

3 hours ago, Maverick.AU said:

 

Man good pull for them. He is a cincy native and he did not blink a eye and looked like he sprinted towards westwood and really wants to be there. I think this is a better hire than Barnes. Barnes is 64 and Cronin is 47.  This should work out better long term. Cronin is a good coach. I think he will do really well there with a significant upgrade in talent year to year than at a American conference school in cincy.