The email arrived early Wednesday morning. It concerned Tennessee’s Tuesday hiring of 60-year-old Rick Barnes to lead its men’s basketball program.
“He is too old to relate to 17-year-old kids that make you a winner in basketball,” it began. “He will not be able to recruit…Barnes will be gone in three years.”
If other negative emails are any indication among the significant minority of Volniacs unhappy with this hire – 75.8 percent of respondents to this newspaper’s online poll have been in favor of Barnes – their frustration seems to center on the new UT coach’s age.
But before anyone makes too big a deal of his 60 years on the planet – Barnes will actually turn 61 before the 2015-16 season begins – it’s probably worth noting that three of this year’s Final Four coaches are as old or older than the new UT coach and that three of those coaches (though not the same three) beat guys younger than them to reach college basketball’s ultimate stage.
And the one who did defeat an older coach – Michigan State’s 60-year-old Tom Izzo – kept Louisville’s 62-year-old Rick Pitino from reaching his third Final Four in four years.