Tennessee basketball: Rick Barnes publicly calling out Vols is working

Tennessee basketball head coach Rick Barnes’s method of publicly calling out Volunteers players has proven itself to be effective.

Back in December of 2016, I wrote an article that you can see here saying that Rick Barnes crossed a line publicly calling out his players after a Tennessee basketball game. However, a year and two months later, it’s clear I was wrong. And I’d like to issue a public apology to Rick Barnes.

On Saturday, Barnes publicly called out Grant Williams after he went 1-for-8 from the field with just five points and four rebounds in a 73-62 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. Barnes said that Williams has to go back to being himself, and mentioned specific things he needs to do.

Wednesday night, Grant Williams proved why that method is effective. The Vols’ best player responded with 23 points going 8-of-13 shooting the ball and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. He added six rebounds and was aggressive all night.

Williams’s play was the sole difference between winning and losing for Tennessee basketball as they defeated the Florida Gators 62-57. We should note that this was not a pretty game.

The only scoring help Williams got was from Admiral Schofield, who had 16 points. But like the rest of the team, he didn’t have a good shooting night. So it was up to Williams to shoulder the load.

And after Barnes publicly called him out, he did just that. Thanks to him, Tennessee basketball has its 20th win on the season, and this is the earliest the Vols got to 20 wins since their Elite Eight season under Bruce Pearl.

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With a 20-7 record and 10-5 SEC record, it’s clear that Barnes’s method of publicly challenging players is working. Tennessee has taken major strides in his third year.

In that instance a year ago, he called out Shembari Phillips, Lamonte Turner and Robert Hubbs III. Hubbs has graduated, Turner has blossomed into a very good combo guard, and Phillips is gone.

So the message in Barnes’s method is clear. If you can handle it, you’ll become a better player. If not, you might not be in the program for too long.

Well, he’s now got a group of guys that can handle it, and it’s a huge reason Tennessee basketball in the Top 25 and looking at a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They are significantly ahead of schedule because of the way Barnes is challenging them.

For many Vols fans, the goal was just an NCAA Tournament bid this year. But they expected a bubble team. Instead, though, they have a Top 25 team that can play with anybody.

This is what Barnes has done. He took a bunch of three-star, overlooked recruits who had potential. He then went to work pushing them as hard as possible to reach that potential. Now, with chemistry and the ability to play together, those three-stars look like five-stars. And this is with no seniors in the starting lineup.

It’s the exact opposite of what Butch Jones did in Knoxville. Jones got Top 5 recruiting class two straight years. He coddled the players publicly all the time with phrases like “Champions of Life” and “Five-Star Hearts.” That was clearly indicative of not setting a standard.

As a result, Tennessee football fell apart, underachieving a bit his fourth year and significantly his fifth year. Barnes, meanwhile, doesn’t make excuses for his players.

Remember, he said he expected NCAA Tournament runs the previous two years with .500 and below teams. What’s clear, though, is Barnes sets the standard every year and won’t deviate from it.

And part of setting that standard is calling players out. This is why Tennessee basketball is overachieving this year.

When I criticized Barnes for doing this back in 2016, I was called a snowflake by many readers. Looking back, they were right.

Next: 10 Vols bound for turnaround under Jeremy Pruitt

Part of developing players is making sure they can handle criticism and embarrassment. Barnes has focused on doing that. And now, as a result, Tennessee basketball is in as great of shape as anybody could ask for.

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Tennessee basketball: Rick Barnes publicly calling out Vols proves effective

By Caleb Calhoun | Feb 22, 2018

Tennessee basketball head coach Rick Barnes’s method of publicly calling out Volunteers players has proven itself to be effective.