The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame released the list of eligible candidates for the class of 2024 and Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes was among the first-time nominees.
Barnes was joined by fellow newcomers Vince Carter, Bill Laimbeer, Mike Fratello, and the 2008 U.S. Olympic Basketball team, known as the ‘Redeem Team’.
Barnes has been a head coach every season since 1987, when he began his career at George Mason by going 20-10.
The next year he was at Providence in the Big East, spending six years with the Friars and making three NCAA Tournaments.
From there he spent four years at Clemson and then 17 as the head coach of the Texas Longhorns, making the NCAA Tournament in all but one season and appearing in the Final Four, while coaching legends like Kevin Durant, TJ Ford, and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Barnes has been at Tennessee the past eight seasons, with five NCAA Tournament appearances and even a No. 1 overall ranking during the 2018-19 season.
All told Barnes has a 788-409 record, including a 9-3 start this year, good for a 65.8% winning rate. He has been named conference coach of the year six times, and Naismith Coach of the Year once, and his team has been in the NCAA Tournament an astonishing 27 times, although he has only made the one Final 4.
Barnes joins Miami coach Jim Larranaga among active college basketball head coaches on the ballot, and recently retired coaches who are eligible include Bo Ryan and John Beilein.
Finalists from the Honor’s Committee for the Class of 2024 will be announced on Friday, February 16, in Indianapolis, Indiana, during NBA All-Star Weekend.
The entire Class of 2024 will be unveiled during the NCAA Final Four in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday, April 6, in a nationally televised broadcast.