'People call and say I better be careful' - Rick Barnes on the reasons he left the Texas Longhorns

A legendary coach, Rick Barnes started his head coaching career at George Mason University in 1987, where he spent just one year before leaving for Providence College the following season. Still, the University of Texas left the most significant impact on his career.

A storied career at Texas ends abruptly

Barnes spent 17 years there and became the winningest coach in their history with a 402-180 career. During his time at Texas, Rick was named Big 12 Coach of the Year four times. However, the end of that stint was abrupt.

"There were rumors about me and how they wanted to start all over with everything new," Barnes said on the recent episode of the "Goodman & Hummel" podcast. "And I'd gotten a call from some people saying I better be careful. Watch my back."

Rick's tenure with the Longhorns was marked by consistent success, with the team reaching the NCAA Tournament in 16 of his 17 seasons. He led them to their first Final Four appearance in 56 years in 2003 and was one of the prominent figures in recruiting Kevin Durant. However, changes were made among the Texas director staff, which ultimately led to Barnes leaving the program.

Loyalty to his staff over the Texas ultimatum

Rick commented that he had received calls from "some powerful people" saying he would be fine, but he suspected that something else might happen.

"The rumor was put out by the athletic director that I could stay as long as I would change my staff," he added.

The ultimate decision was that Barnes wouldn't change his staff. There were many instances where Rick complimented their ability in player development. One of them was the decision not to put any weight on KD and to keep him lengthy and skinny, a body build he maintained throughout his career.

Fortunately for Barnes, there were openings at the time, and he opted to continue his career at Tennessee, where he is until this day, leading them to a No. 1 rank in the AP Top 25. Right now, his Volunteers are the best team in the country and genuine contenders for a few titles this season. It is an upgrade to last year's success when Rick developed Dalton Knecht, whom the Los Angeles Lakers drafted.