Rick Barnes almost became the UCLA coach. He's still with Tennessee: 'I thank God'

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Rick Barnes doesn’t recall the finer points of the UCLA coaching search in April 2019.

The Tennessee basketball coach mainly recollects his response in the middle of a career-defining decision.

“I remember a lot of prayer,” Barnes said.

Barnes was a leading candidate for the Bruins coaching job six years ago, but remained in Knoxville in a choice that set Tennessee on the path to the best years in program history.

“I look at it now and I thank God that he gave me the guidance to be where I am,” Barnes said.

The program Barnes leads and the one he almost led are meeting with a Sweet 16 berth on the line. The No. 2 seed Vols (28-7) face No. 7 UCLA (23-10) play Saturday (9:40 p.m. ET, TNT/truTV) at Rupp Arena in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Why Rick Barnes was honored by UCLA opportunity in 2019

Barnes was honored when UCLA called on April 2, 2019.

He has long held affection for the historic program and the late legendary coach John Wooden. Barnes, 70, stayed up late at night as a kid in Hickory, North Carolina, to watch Wooden’s teams in the 1960s. His mother and a friend spent $56 to send him to a basketball camp as a teenager at Campbell College, where Wooden was a featured guest.

Barnes got to know Wooden as his coaching career took off. He had a player at George Mason in the late 1980s named Bill Johnson who was close with Wooden. He visited Wooden with Johnson. He made more visits when his son, Nick, was living in Los Angeles.

“We had a chance to go to coach's home and spend time in his home with him and talk basketball,” Barnes said. “A number of times I would go to dinner with him. That was a wonderful experience for me to get to talk to him.

Barnes had many reasons for listening to UCLA at the time. His fondness for the Bruins program ranked highly among them. He listened and met with UCLA officials during a week-long courtship that ended with Barnes staying at Tennessee.

Tennessee basketball in 'golden era' with Rick Barnes

UCLA coach Mick Cronin called the present “the golden era” for Tennessee basketball on Thursday. It is that because Barnes remained in Knoxville.

Barnes likewise has respect for Cronin and his program.

“I'm glad it's worked out for UCLA, too, because the people I met with were wonderful people,” Barnes said. “I don't think there is any question they made the right hire.”

Barnes said in 2019 that he likely would have have ended up as the coach at UCLA if the details around his $5 million buyout could have been worked out. He signed an extension with Tennessee worth $5.2 million after sticking with UT.

He credited University of Tennessee president Randy Boyd for “the commitment he made” during the negotiations.

Barnes has a 142-58 record in the six seasons since the UCLA coaching search. The Vols have been ranked for the entirety of four straight seasons and won at least 25 games in all four. They have been to back-to-back Sweet 16s and made UT’s second Elite Eight appearance last season.

They are playing for a third straight Sweet 16 on Saturday during Barnes’ outstanding run in Knoxville.

Those are the finer points of Barnes' decision that started with a lot of prayer.

“I felt really blessed to have had the opportunity to come to Tennessee,” Barnes said.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Rick Barnes: Tennessee coach reflects on UCLA coaching search in 2019

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