What Tennessee athletic director Danny White said Thursday about his decision to give Rick Barnes a lifetime contract.
What Tennessee athletic director Danny White said Thursday afternoon on The Mike Keith Show about his decision to give men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes a lifetime contract:
The decision to give Rick Barnes a lifetime contract
“We have a men’s basketball program that’s been doing pretty well. Two straight Elite Eights, three straight Sweet 16s. And a coach that I think is absolutely phenomenal. And we want him coaching here on Rocky Top for as long as possible. So (I’m) announcing Rick Barnes, we’ve given him a lifetime contract. We want him to be the head coach of the Vols for as long as he’s coaching on the hardwood. And I hope that’s for a long time to come. Really excited about the roster he’s built for this year and this season and can’t wait to see our program continue to grow under his leadership.
What Rick Barnes has built at Tennessee
“I don’t think I would survive very long as the athletic director here if I didn’t make sure he wasn’t comfortable being our head coach. I know he’s beloved by our fans and everyone recognizes the job he’s done. What I told him in the locker room after the season at the NCAA Tournament last year is he’s built a blue blood and he really has. We are a traditional blue blood in a lot of sports, but maybe haven’t been in men’s basketball and I think we are now. We are on the scene and everyone across the country across the country is paying attention to his team every single season, and this season is no exception. So really, it’s been a joy to work with him, and I hope he coaches here for a long time. He’s so much fun to be around and does a phenomenal job of recruiting high character young kids into our program that leave as really unbelievable representatives to our university and the culture, everything is phenomenal.”
How the lifetime contract works
“It means every year it rolls over and we want him leading our program for as long as he wants to coach.”
A lifetime contract helping in recruiting, prospect knowing that Rick Barnes will be at Tennessee
“He’s still got a hunger and a love and passion for coaching. He loves what he’s doing. It’s our job to make sure that we’re giving him the competitive advantages he needs to continue to build the program. I know he’s still hungry and wants to get beyond that Elite Eight and continue to build on all the success he’s had.”
The atmosphere at Food City Center and renovations made during the offseason
“The passion of our fans, the the whole building is like a student section. I think it’s the loudest environment in college basketball, just like Neyland is the loudest environment in college football. Our fan base is absolutely phenomenal. But I’ve been in our other peer blue-blood basketball venues and they are not as loud as our building.
“It’s a really special environment and really excited to continue to pour into that fan experience with the new video board, brand new audio system this year, the new Riverside Club that’ll really help take some of the population, some of the congestion, off of the concourses and also create a great experience for the people in the club down on the court level. So we’re turning it up a notch even more so this coming year. The video board’s absolutely fantastic.”
Category: General Sports
