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Rick Barnes Must Make Coaching Staff Changes Or Be Fired Himself

By Cody Daniel

Feb 24, 2015; Morgantown, WV, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Rick Barnes looks on against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second half at WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers won 71-64. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 24, 2015; Morgantown, WV, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Rick Barnes looks on against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second half at WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers won 71-64. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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While Sweet 16 action in the NCAA Tournament stole the show on Thursday night, some updates on the coaching situation facing the Texas Longhorns and their longest tenured leader in program history finally surfaced, as Athletic Director Steve Patterson reportedly gave Rick Barnes the option of making changes on his coaching staff or getting the boot himself.

This decision by Patterson could come as a surprise to many. Texas recently concluded what was a disappointing season in nearly every possible way, as the Longhorns’ 20-14 record was topped with a one-and-done appearance in the NCAA Tournament. It was yet another example of how Barnes had simply done less with more, as many expected Texas to be a team that could have made a push at a Final Four in his 17th season at the helm.

But he fell short of expectations yet again and the the golden years of his coaching tenure at Texas are long gone, as Peter Bean of Burnt Orange Nation suggested in a terrific article discussing why we’ve come to the end of an era in Texas basketball.

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But now with Patterson’s offer to Barnes on the table, what’s next?

The obvious choice would be for Barnes to make the necessary coaching staff changes and be able to return to his usual place running the show for the Longhorns in 2015-16, but then Barnes would be faced with the decision of placing the blame on the shoulders of his assistants when many feel his own coaching efforts are the larger issue here, via Burnt Orange Nation:

"“He can scapegoat an assistant or two and have an opportunity to redeem himself with one last chance to make the elusive tournament run with an experienced team that will add at least two guards in Eric Davis and Kerwin Roach who may be able to help alleviate the team’s long-distance shooting issues. Or he can decide that the assistants aren’t the problem, take a principled stand, and take the fall himself.”"

But as later noted in the column, as well as by 247Sports.com, Barnes is a cut of a different thread and stepping down before making the decision to fire his assistants could be a real possibility.

"“A source with knowledge of the situation told Horns247 recently if Barnes was faced with the ultimatum of making staff changes then resigning from his post could be an option for the 2014 Big 12 Coach of the Year.”"

There have been murmurs that special assistant and former Texas guard Jai Lucas may not be willing to spend a third season behind the bench, but he’s a guy Barnes and Patterson alike would be wise to keep around, as he’s a respected voice in the Houston recruiting scene, which has become a hotbed for premier high school talent.

There’s assistant head coach Rob Lanier, who has been responsible for roles such as drawing up plays late in games, but with Texas failing to come through down the stretch in so many instances – see Iowa State vs. Texas in the Big 12 Tournament – this could serve as a key cog in Barnes decision should he make any staff changes.

Russ Springman has been on the pine with Barnes throughout his entire tenure in Austin, so it would be hard to see Barnes cut ties with him before taking the blame and resigning. And Chris Ogden, the former Longhorn player from 2000-03 spent two years as a student assistant and three years as an administrative assistant before stepping into his current role as an assistant coach.

There’s no solid insight yet as to who could be on Barnes target list, but I would assume Lucas and Springman are safe for the aforementioned reasons, but just as likely as Barnes firing any assistants would be the 17-year head coach taking himself out of power.

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