Report: Tennessee Vols basketball coach Rick Barnes reached out to UCLA with interest in job
When reports surfaced earlier this month that Tennessee Vols head basketball coach Rick Barnes was interested in the UCLA job, it was framed as though the Bruins first approached Barnes. But that's apparently not what happened. According to The Athletic's Seth Davis, Barnes actually reached out to UCLA to express his interest in the job. […]
When reports surfaced earlier this month that Tennessee Vols head basketball coach Rick Barnes was interested in the UCLA job, it was framed as though the Bruins first approached Barnes.
But that's apparently not what happened.
According to The Athletic's Seth Davis, Barnes actually reached out to UCLA to express his interest in the job.
That's not exactly how Barnes recalled the events during his press conference last week. Barnes made it out as though UCLA first called him.
It's irrelevant at this point who called who first, but it's still interesting to hear conflicting statements on how the communication went down between Barnes and UCLA.
I think it's quite clear that Barnes badly wanted the UCLA job, but he wasn't willing to sacrifice money to take the gig. Tennessee stepped up and did what they needed to do to keep a coach that has turned the basketball program around, which I think was the right move.
At the end of the day, coaching is a business. I don't think fans should be too concerned with the fact that Barnes almost left Knoxville. They should just be happy he stayed.
Update:
Seth Davis has apologized to Rick Barnes for mistakenly reporting that Barnes first reached out to UCLA.
Featured image via Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
