You’re Hall of Fame in my books, coach.
- Ellie Williamson
- Sep 19, 2024
- 7 min read
Ellie Williamson
There is always a catchphrase or a slogan involved in sports. Think through the marketing of any sports team that you follow. At some point, you associate a phrase with that team. An example can be seen from the National Champions of the NBA. The Boston Celtics finished the 2023-2024 season as the National Champions for the league. They are known for more than the 18 national titles they have won as franchises. They are known for the reflection of the clover logo and an Irish play on the words, “It’s not luck”. Here in Tennessee, a phrase that transcends sports culture is used. It originated from a man who hails from Hickory, North Carolina. The population of Coach Rick Barnes's hometown could fit inside Food City Center twice. It is inside that arena where the INAM catchphrase is displayed in action.
’It’s not about me’ is a phrase that crosses the boundaries of the court. It extends deeper than the three-point arch. This phrase has led the culture of the longest-ranked SEC men/s basketball team, the Tennessee Volunteers. That culture could soon be displayed in the prestigious Naismith Hall of Fame. Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes was nominated this year for the award alongside only one other active D1 head coach. The award will be presented at the end of his 10th year as Head Coach at The University of Tennessee. His slogan for a game of basketball may be the most powerful contribution to the game in his tenured career which includes 37 seasons as a coach and 3 years as a collegiate player.
There was a time when the head coach of the top-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball team didn’t see confetti fall in Nashville at the SEC championship. Nor did the Vols team consistently see the Sweet 16. Heck, when Coach Barnes arrived on campus in Knoxville, his team was an underdog to an instate d2 school. What a journey of 10 years it has been for little Ricky from Hickory. How does one walk into a program and start it over from scratch? Coach Barnes can give you the playbook for that. But, if you ask him he will tell you, “It’s Not about Me”.
I first met Rick Barnes over a year ago as a young student journalist reporting for The Players Lounge. The Players Lounge is a media outlet formed by former SEC legends of the game. My job with The Players Lounge is to help curate conversations on a podcast with student-athletes at the University of Tennessee so that fans get an inside look at their lives in collegiate sports. I also offer multimedia content for Tennessee athletic teams. As a Georgia girl raised by a football coach, basketball was just not a sport that I was around much. NBA hoops were on the screen at home, and so were college hoops, but the games were not the focus around my house. In my coverage of Tennessee athletics, it wasn’t hard to not be acquainted with Coach. He is a friendly human that has a natural essence of charisma as he walks in a room. However, in the last few years of covering his teams, I discovered more than just hoops. I was acquainted with a vibe to enjoy basketball as more than just a game. It truly is a community.
You see, women aren’t overcrowding the media rooms for men’s college hoops teams. As I enter the media rooms at Tennessee, I am immediately surrounded by veteran journalists who share with me the responsibility of telling the story of the game. I’ll be honest, I often sit back and just observe media availability to get the best information delivered to The Players Lounge. Speaking up is not my thing. Learning from observation is my strong suit. But, one day Coach Barnes reversed the media engagement role and asked me a question. “Ellie, what was the best gift you got this year”. This man is in the heat of an SEC schedule. One of the toughest parts of his season. And yet, as we waited for the team to join the court for practice, he wanted to know about my Christmas. I didn’t even know that he knew my name. After his presser, I just happened to be coloring in my scripture coloring book right before he spoke to me. It was my favorite Christmas gift and I shared that with him. We often have downtime in between his availability in a group setting and the start of practice observations. It meant the world that this Head Coach was kind to just care about me. He didn’t have to care. Yes, shortly after our encounter, he was abrasive and demanding at practice. Yes, he is very often seen with high intensity during a game. But, at heart, he has compassion for others. A quality rooted in his faith. It’s not about him.
Assistant coach Greg Polinsky has been on a court with Coach Barnes for over 10 years. They go back to the days before Tennessee. I reached out to Coach Greg and asked him to walk me through what he sees in the man that has been a part of his career in the game of basketball. Greg has been coaching since 1981. He met Rick Barnes a short 3 years later while in Texas. The two paired off good times and bad while in the Lonestar state. Gregg would leave Texas in 1986 while Rick remained. The two were united again when Barnes left his past for Texas and hung his hat in Tennessee. The rest is history. Coach Polinsky says, “There is a strength to that man that only can come from his Faith in Jesus Christ.”
To open the tenth year at Tennessee you can hear it directly from media day with CRB. “Any good thing that has ever happened for me has been a true blessing from God.”
He went on to say, “The players he’s blessed me with to be around. I’ve always said the best part of this job is the interaction with players.” Little did he know, that his interaction with me that January day started a spark for me to follow the game and see my own role in sports media in a new light. A light that shines on others. After all, in telling the story, it’s not about me. In journalism, it is not my stand-up or image that matters. It’s not my voice that needs to be heard. It is about the game and those that make it great. I keep a small coin that Coach Barnes gave me a year ago to remind me of that on my journey.
Your record in life far exceeds the records of the game. He has excelled in both. Married to his wife Candy for over 40 years, Rick has led his family to a successful bond that mirrors the success of the teams and players that he has coached.
That coaching record isn’t too shabby either. Before his time at Tennessee, Barnes had successful stints at Texas, Clemson, and Providence. At Texas, he guided the team to 16 NCAA tournament appearances, including a Final Four in 2003. His overall coaching record boasts over 700 wins, making him one of the most successful active coaches in college basketball. Known for his ability to develop players and his strategic acumen, Barnes has left a lasting impact on everyone he has ever met. As of late, an NBA lottery player named Dalton Knecht.
Dalton Knecht is arguably the next Rookie Of The Year for the National Basketball Association. A first-year lottery pick discovered while playing for, you guessed it, Rick Barnes. Not since Elgin Baylor in 1959 have the Lakers had a player only a few games removed from being a collegiate standout in the Southeastern Conference named in the same sentence as Rookie Of The Year. It’s truly magical. I reached out to Dalton Knecht recently to talk more about the coach who flew to his side for draft night. I first met Dalton on the campus of The University of Tennessee. I needed a show host for a hoops episode on The Players Lounge. He was new and had never done any type of media before. It was perfect. We quickly built trust and respect for sharing the game with the fans at Tennessee. As Dalton and I talked for over 30 minutes, we recapped that experience and I asked him to tell me more about Coach, something that people don’t know. The story he shared amplified the slogan seen all over the Pratt Pavilion. (home to the Coach Rick Barnes program)You guessed it, “It’s Not About Me” was once again the mantra for the story that Dalton shared with me about the coach. Many don’t know but Dalton lost his grandfather right before the SEC tourney. His first and only experience at the Nashville venue was haunted by the loss of his family’s patriarch. “Ellie, I didn’t want to even play.” “If it wasn’t for Coach Barnes that day, I don’t know what I would have done.” Tennessee fans will remember the loss of that tournament. But, Dalton will remember the loss that sparked his role in the greatest postseason run in recent Tennessee history. Thanks, coach.
It’s a year where we will remember not the failures of Rick Barnes but his perseverance for success.
As the season begins, Coach can be found in the Bahamas where he spent his honeymoon. Winning the Baha Mar Hoops tournament is just the start of a 10th run. The game of basketball is a game of runs. I have heard CRB say this many times. Coach is now set for a run at The Hall of Fame. Win or lose, he has defined to the sport and to us all what it means to be more than just hoops.
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