Texas Fires Rick Barnes; Gregg Marshall, Shaka Smart Next?

After 17 years as the head coach of the Texas Longhorns, Rick Barnes time in Austin has finally reached its end, according to ESPN:

Texas athletic director Steve Patterson has informed Rick Barnes that his tenure is over in Austin, sources told ESPN.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 28, 2015

This news was to be anticipated, as Thursday’s reports that athletic director Steve Patterson gave Barnes an ultimatum to fire his assistant coaches were followed by Friday’s reports that Barnes would not fulfill those wishes and was expected to step down.

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Barnes received an extension only a year ago, but his seat quickly heated back up as Texas’ season became more disappointing as it went on. A collapse in Big 12 play ultimately led to the Longhorns losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Butler after sneaking in as an 11-seed.

Barnes’ Longhorns finished the season 20-14; a regression from last season’s 24-11 mark, despite a more glorified roster behind the hype of Myles Turner.

Barnes became the winningest coach in Texas history after compiling a 402-180 (.691) record over his 17 years in Austin. He led Texas to the Final Four in 2003 and the Elite Eight in 2008, but has failed to reach the Sweet 16 for the past seven seasons, which led to Texas parting ways with Barnes.

Now the focus shifts to who will succeed Barnes 17-year tenure on the 40 Acres, and it’s a question that we may not have to wait long for the answer to, per Brian Davis of The Austin American-Statesman:

“Texas hopes to hire Barnes’ successor “within a week,” the source said. It’s not clear whether Texas Men’s Athletic Director Steve Patterson would handle the search by himself or utilize a search firm, like the school did before hiring Patterson as the AD and football coach Charlie Strong.”

Numerous names have been thrown into the mix for Texas’ head coaching candidacy, with Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall and VCU’s Shaka Smart leading the way and the interest is reportedly mutual.

Texas top candidates are Gregg Marshall and Shaka Smart -- and both have heavy interest in the opening, sources told ESPN.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 28, 2015

Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports provided some insight on who may be the favorite to land the Texas job:

"Speaking of him: the list could and likely will start with Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall. He’s been choosy and driven some hard bargains that ultimately have led to him staying at Wichita for eight seasons, and it’s worked out splendidly for him – his record over the last three years is 95-15, with one Final Four and one undefeated regular season.But this is the kind of job the Wichita State coach doesn’t turn down. There is no reason why the right coach shouldn’t turn Texas into a perennial top 10 program – and get rich(er) in the process.Sources told Yahoo Sports that Marshall already had signaled Alabama not to waste its energy putting together a whopper offer for his services, because he had his eyes on Texas. So this conceivably could be a short courtship – if anything can get done simply in Austin."

Between Patterson looking to hire within a week and Marshall reportedly eyeing Texas, the Longhorns may have their hands on the most sought-after coach on the market by way of Wichita, Kansas. Marshall has a history of doing more with less. In nine seasons at Winthrop, Marshall led the Eagles to seven NCAA tournament appearances and a 277-195 record.

But much more glamorous are his achievements during his tenure with the Shockers. Wichita State has now made four consecutive NCAA tournaments, headlined by the Final Four run in 2013 and followed by an undefeated regular season and 35-1 finish after a second round loss to Kentucky in 2014.

As for this season: Marshall led Wichita State to a Sweet 16 after a 78-65 victory over Bill Self and Kansas, which should serve as reason enough for Texas fans to want this guy.

Mar 20, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Wichita State Shockers head coach Gregg Marshall (right) reacts with his players after a basket against the Indiana Hoosiers during the second half in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /

The other big name tossed around has been Smart from VCU, who ESPN reported has a strong interest in the Texas opening, despite a history of turning down bigger programs.

The safe bet would be to assume Texas is able to come to a deal with either Marshall or Smart as quickly as possible. With the two hottest coaches on the market having already leaked interest, it’s very unlikely Patterson even dips into the likes of others such as Dayton’s Archie Miller.

Next: 30 Greatest Teams In NCAA History

Texas Fires Rick Barnes; Gregg Marshall, Shaka Smart Leading Candidates

By Cody Daniel | Mar 29, 2015

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