Tennessee basketball: Rick Barnes remembers John Thompson

The Tennessee basketball Volunteers head coach recalls his experiences with the Georgetown legend.

Rick Barnes and John Thompson were on opposite sidelines 15 times, once when Barnes was an assistant with the Ohio State Buckeyes under Gary Williams and 14 times as head coach of the Providence Friars. However, the most famous interaction involving the current Tennessee basketball head coach is the time they didn’t face off.

Providence’s first game against Georgetown back in 1988-1989, Barnes’ first year as head coach of the Friars, happened on Jan. 18. Thompson, who passed away Sunday at age 78, wa right in the middle of a boycott over Prop 42, which you can read about here. He did not show up for that game, just like he boycotted Georgetown’s previous game against the Boston College Eagles.

Georgetown was 8-1 at the time and won that game 80-77. The boycott ended two days later. In an interview with The Bottom Line on AM 1300 The Zone in Austin, Texas, Barnes reflected back on that game. Here’s a bit of what the Tennessee basketball coach said about his absence.

"“They laid a towel over his chair, and Providence is his alma mater, and what he was fighting for is right.”"

Later that season, in February, Barnes finally had his first head-to-head with Thompson, and Providence lost another close one, 76-74. He talked about the towering presence of Thompson during that matchup and said Thompson told him he was a “hell of a coach” after that game.

Throughout the interview, Barnes touted his and Thompson’s experiences. He said Thompson told him he’d have to take on “City Hall” (referring to programs like the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels) when taking the Clemson Tigers job, praised Thompson’s role in the growth of the Big East and said they talked about Kevin Durant’s versatility in a mid-2000s interview.

His first experience with Thompson came back in the early 1980s, when he was tasked with recruiting the Washington, D.C. area as an assistant with the George Mason Patriots, a title he held from 1980 to 1985. Barnes said he was asked by Thompson what he was doing at a boys’ club up there, a place he went to try to scout promising young talent for college.

"“He just had this booming presence about him, where you knew he cared, and he was out.”…“When he needed to be out recruiting and making his presence felt, it was felt in a very strong way.”"

During his time at Providence, Barnes went 7-8 against Georgetown and 7-7 against Thompson. He was still 7-8 against Thompson overall, as a head coach and an assistant, when you consider the loss Ohio State had to them with Barnes on staff.

It was clear the Tennessee basketball coach crossed paths with Thompson numerous times, though, from his days as an assistant to his days as a Big East head coach to his years in the NCAA Tournament when Thompson was a broadcaster. If anybody can appreciate what Thompson did for the sport, Barnes would be that guy.