After a disappointing 20-14 season that ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Texas and head coach Rick Barnes announced a mutual parting of ways on Sunday morning. Barnes compiled a 402-180 record over his 17 seasons at UT, but reached just a single Final Four, in 2003.
Speculation about Barnes’ future in Austin reached a boiling point on Saturday, with reports of his firing coming in from multiple news agencies. On Sunday, Barnes and AD Steve Patterson announced the news officially, with augmented language from what was reported previously.
BREAKING: Texas will fire Rick Barnes. Barnes made one Final Four in 17 years at UT. (via @GoodmanESPN & @statesman) pic.twitter.com/P3OJ1YakmJ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 28, 2015
“I leave this job with no regrets,” said Barne. “Instead, I look back at our time here and say ‘thank you’ to all the players, coaches and staff who have worked with our program throughout the last 17 years.”
Momentum had turned against the Barnes regime in recent years, with in-state recruiting battles going the way of Baylor, Texas A&M and even SMU after. Still, the UT brand carried enough weight to bring in talent like Myles Turner and Cameron Ridley, both five-star recruits according to Rivals.com.
Aside from Kevin Durant, perhaps the most notable Longhorn that played under Barnes was T.J. Ford. Ford helped lead Texas to their first Final Four since 1947. He tweeted out his support of his former coach once news of the change had been announced.
If I was with Coach Barnes right now I know this moment would be the same. Our bond is unbreakable pic.twitter.com/qBUgSaMEBQ
— TJ Ford (@tj_ford) March 29, 2015
Attention now turns to the coaching search, one that AD Patterson said will begin immediately.
Names linked to the job in the past have been Buzz Williams (now at Virginia Tech), Shaka Smart (VCU) and Archie Miller (Dayton). Now, there seems to be one name atop them all: Gregg Marshall.
Marshall has built Wichita State into a legitimate player on the national scene, with two Sweet 16s in the past three years, along with a Final Four appearance in 2013.
Reports have surfaced that Marshall is also the top candidate at Alabama, where the Tide are prepared to offer a contract that exceeds $3 million per year. One would have to think that if Texas came calling, Marshall would certainly listen–as he has said he will do for any job offer.
**UPDATE**: Former UT wing Kevin Durant tweets out his support for Rick Barnes.
I learned a lot from this guy, was much more than a coach but a father figure! Love you, Thank you pic.twitter.com/gN2ahkmLFP
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) March 29, 2015
