After a pursuit of TCU coach Jamie Dixon fizzled out in embarrassing fashion, it appears that UCLA has found another candidate to take over a beleaguered program.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes has emerged as a “serious candidate” in UCLA’s coaching search, Evan Daniels of 247 Sports reports.
[Best Bracket Millionaire: Who’s going to win it all?]
Barnes just finished up his fourth season in Knoxville, and it was one of the best in program history. The Volunteers finished 31-6, Tennessee’s second ever 30-win campaign, and reached the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Purdue in wild fashion.
Tennessee’s growth under Barnes and star players Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield resulted in Barnes winning the Naismith Coach of the Year on Sunday.
The Volunteers have steadily risen since Barnes took over for Donnie Tyndall, going from a 15-19 record in his first season to an SEC power and NCAA tournament 2-seed this season. Barnes also has 17 years of experience as head coach at Texas, taking the Longhorns to the Big Dance 16 times.
Most importantly to UCLA, Barnes would be very interested in heading west if offered the chance per the Los Angeles Times’ Ben Bolch.
Despite a solid resume at multiple big programs, Barnes would still likely be a somewhat disappointing hire for UCLA fans yearning for the program’s days as one of the elite programs in college basketball. The program seemed to initially aim high with a reported $48 million offer to Kentucky coach John Calipari, but all that did was nab Calipari a lifetime contract with the Wildcats.
The Bruins then moved to Dixon, but talks hit a major snag and later died after UCLA proved unwilling to pay Dixon’s $8 million buyout. Barnes would come slightly cheaper at $5 million, per 247 Sports.
Whether Barnes or someone else takes the job, the next UCLA head coach will have a fairly massive to-do list if he wants to meet fan expectations. The program fired Steve Alford after a disappointing 7-6 start and currently has zero recruits committed beyond 2019.
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Tennessee coach Rick Barnes has emerged as a “serious candidate” in UCLA’s coaching search, Evan Daniels of 247 Sports reports.
[Best Bracket Millionaire: Who’s going to win it all?]
Barnes just finished up his fourth season in Knoxville, and it was one of the best in program history. The Volunteers finished 31-6, Tennessee’s second ever 30-win campaign, and reached the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Purdue in wild fashion.
Tennessee’s growth under Barnes and star players Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield resulted in Barnes winning the Naismith Coach of the Year on Sunday.
The Volunteers have steadily risen since Barnes took over for Donnie Tyndall, going from a 15-19 record in his first season to an SEC power and NCAA tournament 2-seed this season. Barnes also has 17 years of experience as head coach at Texas, taking the Longhorns to the Big Dance 16 times.
Most importantly to UCLA, Barnes would be very interested in heading west if offered the chance per the Los Angeles Times’ Ben Bolch.
Despite a solid resume at multiple big programs, Barnes would still likely be a somewhat disappointing hire for UCLA fans yearning for the program’s days as one of the elite programs in college basketball. The program seemed to initially aim high with a reported $48 million offer to Kentucky coach John Calipari, but all that did was nab Calipari a lifetime contract with the Wildcats.
The Bruins then moved to Dixon, but talks hit a major snag and later died after UCLA proved unwilling to pay Dixon’s $8 million buyout. Barnes would come slightly cheaper at $5 million, per 247 Sports.
Whether Barnes or someone else takes the job, the next UCLA head coach will have a fairly massive to-do list if he wants to meet fan expectations. The program fired Steve Alford after a disappointing 7-6 start and currently has zero recruits committed beyond 2019.
More from Yahoo Sports:
