Hooked 'em: Why Texas had to fire Rick Barnes

Published Mar. 29, 2015 10:35 p.m. ET

foxsports

By Matthew Hamill.

After 17 seasons Rick Barnes has been fired as Texas Basketball’s head coach. The decision comes after a mediocre 20-14 (8-10 Big-12) season including a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Steve Patterson, U.T.’s athletic director, made the call only a year after dismissing head football coach Mac Brown. Both men fired for eerily similar reasons they both had talented players, vast recourses, and state of the art facilities. Yet both men couldn’t bring their teams over the hump consistently.

Now there is a story out there that Barnes either had to fire his coaching staff or be fired himself. This only proves how thin the ice under Barnes truly was, even if Rick fires his staff and hires new people they would all be under the same pressure.

Rick Barnes leaves Texas Basketball as the winningest coach in the school’s history.

Ultimately this is the best move for the program going forward. Patterson had plenty of reasons to move from Barnes.

Not his guy

Steve Patterson is a new athletic director at a huge university that is not producing in the two money sports, football and men’s basketball. Patterson was brought in to bring Longhorn athletics back to the top and he wants to do this with his own guys.

What have you done for me recently?

This question needs to be asked more in college and pro sports. What has Rick Barnes done for Texas recently? After reaching the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament in 2008 Texas really hasn’t done much outside a 28-8 season in 2011, and two years later they were sub .500.

What do you do with your talent?

Texas has always been a solid defensive team and they do have Barnes to thank for that. However, watching Texas play basketball over the years they’ve never been an exciting offensive team. Their half court offense is always fairly predictable and easy to defend. While their defense doesn’t pressure to ignite a fast break offense. When Durant played for Texas it was really a one man offense with Durant averaging 25 points a game.

Conference play

Recently the Big-12 has become a powerful basketball conference (regardless of this years March Madness results). All of these teams Oklahoma, OKST, Baylor, Iowa State, and West Virginia all have Texas’ number. Rick Barnes is being swept under the rug by these sides, they have Barnes figured out. In the last four season Barnes is below .500 against the Big-12 and moving forward that isn’t good enough.

Tournament runs

Rick Barnes has two Elite Eight appearances in the last 10 years. The Longhorn’s have one final four appearance in Barnes’ tenure losing to Carmelo Anthony’s Syracuse team. The NCAA tournament has not been a kind place to Barnes with a lot of early exits. Making the tournament isn’t enough, it’s what you do in the tournament.

Texas are a good program with talented players and an ability to recruit good players. All they need is the right guy to put everything together.

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