Texas’ Coach Rick Barnes Earns Two-Year Extension With Longhorns

What a complete 180 for Rick Barnes and his Texas Longhorns basketball program. This time last year, Barnes was on the hot seat in Austin and expected to be fired if he couldn’t bring the Longhorns back to prominence. Well, that’s just what he has done. One 24-win season and the nation’s No. 2 overall recruit – Myles Turner – later, and Barnes has earned himself an extension with Texas through the 2018-19 season worth $2.5 million annually.

This report is according to Brian Davis of the Austin America-Statesman.

Along with the extension and pay increase will also come higher expectations to situate a higher quality product on the court. Luckily for Barnes, this shouldn’t be much of an issue, as he will bring back an entire roster that saw a NCAA Tournament victory in addition to bringing in two ESPN 100 recruits in Turner and Jordan Barnett.

If there were ever a time to give the long-tenured Longhorns’ coach an extension, there’s no question that it’s now as Texas could quite possibly be headed into one of its most successful seasons under Barnes.

As for Barnes and the impact this will have on him and his Texas Longhorns, well, asides from adding a little extra cushion to his pockets with the job security, this should be a huge confidence boost to some of the nation’s top high school athletes considering the Horns’. According to Scout.com, Texas is in the final four choices of five-star point guard Juwan Evans and final eight of five-star center Tyler Davis. With Barnes future over the next four years at Texas secured, there’s no reason he shouldn’t reel in another elite recruit for the second straight year.

Now that Barnes has gotten his extension, it’s time for him to take a very loaded Texas squad to the next level and make them contenders as he makes Texas a name to be reckoned with once again. The university did their part coach…now do yours.