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Tennessee basketball 2017-2018 season report card: Vols final grades

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 06: Admiral Schofield
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 06: Admiral Schofield /
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Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images /

Overall Coaching Grade: A-

Rick Barnes deserved coach of the year for how well the Tennessee basketball team overachieved this year. However, it’s not specifically about what he did this past year with the Vols that warrants him an A-. It’s how he built the program from the start.

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    • The Vols took such strides this year because Barnes focused his recruiting on three-stars with potential who could develop quickly in his system. That’s exactly what they did, and he had a highly efficient team as a result.

    So this A- goes back to what he did on the recruiting trail before last season. Now, Tennessee basketball is a rock-solid program with tons of talent coming back. Getting that personnel, developing the talent, and challenging and pushing them when needed were all A+ jobs by Barnes. And those are the most important things.

    However, we had to give him an A- because of a few X’s and O’s issues on the year. Barnes often times did not make adjustments when necessary, issues that cost his team against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

    His offenses also made questionable decisions to lead to long periods without scoring. For instance, against Loyola Chicago, they never really gave the ball to Grant Williams until the end, when Williams gave them the lead with an and-one play.

    Things like that kept him from getting that A+, which is only earned if you truly did a perfect job coaching. We can point to mistakes Barnes made at times on the year, and that’s why we give him an A-.

    Next: 10 toughest Vols to replace for 2018 football season

    However, don’t read too much into the criticism. Barnes still got an A-, and his coaching job with this Tennessee basketball team was amazing. His good far outweighs his bad, and with an offseason for these guys to get better, the sky is the limit on Rocky Top next year. That is all thanks to what Barnes was able to do.

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