A dream scenario could be playing out for Rick Barnes and the future of Tennessee Vols basketball
Tennessee Vols head coach Rick Barnes doesn’t have too many years left in his coaching career.
It’s no secret that Tennessee Vols basketball coach Rick Barnes is nearing the end of his career.
Barnes will turn 72 in July, and though he isn’t showing signs of slowing down just yet, he’s clearly in his final years as a college basketball coach.
For now, there’s no indication that Barnes plans to retire this year. But at his age, that’s a decision that could come at any time.
A dream scenario could be playing out for Tennessee basketball
Last week, CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander wrote that there’s “curiosity” as to whether current Vols assistant coach Justin Gainey, a former NC State point guard, will get the Tennessee job when Barnes eventually retires.
“Gainey’s the top assistant in Knoxville, and there’s curiosity if he can get the job whenever Rick Barnes retires,” wrote Norlander. “However, I don’t think Barnes is hanging it up this year. Gainey’s certainly got the credibility at this point to step out and take a job elsewhere. Bright future ahead.”
Gainey has served as an assistant under Barnes since 2021. He previously served as an assistant at Marquette, Arizona, Santa Clara, Appalachian State, and Elon. He also spent time as the director of operations at NC State and Marquette.
On3’s Joe Tipton listed Gainey as a candidate to replace Damon Stoudamire as the head coach at Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets fired Stoudamire on Sunday.
“Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey is also expected to be in the mix, sources told On3,” reported Tipton. “He serves as the Vols’ defensive coordinator and has helped guide one of the nation’s top defenses.”
Georgia Tech athletic director Ryan Alpert served as the deputy athletic director at Tennessee from 2021 to 2025, so he’s quite familiar with Gainey.
If Gainey lands the job at Georgia Tech, it could set up a scenario where he gains important head coaching experience while Barnes coaches another two or three years at Tennessee before retiring. At that point, Tennessee could hire a more seasoned Gainey to replace Barnes.
It’s a perfect scenario. Previous head coaching experience is important when taking over at a Power-4 school. Gainey’s had a front-row seat to watching how Barnes runs a program, but it’s not the same as sitting in the big chair and being the final decision maker — especially in the NIL/transfer portal era.
Of course, a lot would have to go right for this scenario to work. Barnes would need to retire in two or three years, and Gainey would need to prove that he’s a capable head coach in the ACC.
And Gainey would obviously have to be on board with returning to Tennessee as the head coach (who knows, he may fall in love with Georgia Tech).
There’s also the fact that Tennessee athletic director Danny White is a bit of a wild card when it comes to coaching searches (Danny loves him an “outside-the-box” hire) — he may choose to go in another direction.
Predicting coaching moves years in advance is an exercise in futility, but this is still an interesting scenario that could end up becoming a reality down the road for the Volunteers.
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