Rick Barnes, who spent 17 seasons as the head basketball coach for the University of Texas, was fired on Saturday.
Barnes is Texas’ all times wins leader with a record of 402-180. He won three Big 12 regular-season championships and reached the NCAA tournament in each of his first 14 seasons there.
With Barnes at the helm, Texas reached the Final Four in 2003 and made two other Elite Eight appearances. The Longhorns were ranked No. 1 in the country for the first time in school history during the 2009-10 season.
In a state that’s loaded with basketball talent, Barnes coached high-profile, and current NBA players while leading the Longhorns, including LaMarcus Aldridge, DJ Augustin, and Kevin Durant.
ESPN is reporting that two guys who have interest in the Texas job are VCU coach Shaka Smart and Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall.
University of Texas officials have kept quiet on the rumors, but ESPN is also reporting that the school might go after someone with NBA ties. Texas athletic Director Steve Patterson was a former executive for the Houston Rockets and Portland Trailblazers, so he does have NBA connections.
Patterson has been the AD at Texas for a year and four months, and already has had an eventful tenure, firing fan favorite football coach Mack Brown, and now letting go the the school’s all time winningest basketball coach in Barnes.
