Kudos to Rick Barnes

Coach Bob Walsh on Rick Barnes:

"Hard not to have a ton of respect for Rick Barnes.  When told by his AD he needed to fire his staff or he would be fired, Barnes refused to get rid of his guys.

“I couldn’t do that. That would be me saying this is about me. I’ve been carried by a lot of people here. We’re in this together.”

Barnes went to 16 NCAA Tournaments in 17 years at Texas. Think about that. Maybe the person who sets the expectations should be fired."

More from ESPN:

"...Barnes confirmed Patterson told him a few days ago he had to fire members of his coaching staff or be fired himself. That ultimatum was leaked to the media Thursday, publicly turning up the pressure on Barnes and his assistants. Barnes blamed the leaks on the athletic department but didn't name any individuals behind them...


...Barnes said his staff offered to quit but he refused to let them."

Coaches in all sports preach loyalty as job one. The talk is always that 'we are one, a family.' However, actions can be quite different, especially when hundreds of thousands of dollars can be at stake as assistants are fully expected to fall on their swords. A tip o' the hat for Rick Barnes for walking the talk.

Make that Rick Barnes, now the new head coach at Tennessee. Hey, the orange bath towels and hand towels at the Barnes home in Austin will also work in Knoxville, as apparently will his assistants.