Texas Longhorns Basketball: Has Rick Barnes Passed the Point of No Return?

Feb 19, 2013; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Rick Barnes yells at forward Ioannis Papapetrou (33) during the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. Texas won 68-59. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Follow Hook ‘Em Headlines on Twitter!

As the Texas basketball program steadily recedes further and further into oblivion—thanks to yet another early NBA draft entry, as well as a season that featured sub-.500 record and a first-round dismissal from, of all things, the College Basketball Invitational—I couldn’t help being reminded of another accomplished Lone Star State program that has fallen completely off the cliff and out of our collective conscience:

The West Canaan Coyotes.

A once-immovable institution on the Texas plains, the Coyotes ruled their (fictional) kingdom with an extended run of dominance, inspiring young boys to dream of donning the blue and white and young girls to don whipped cream bikinis to score the current starting quarterback—despite the fact that the former starting quarterback (who’s their current boyfriend and the best friend of the current starting quarterback) is lying injured in a nearby hospital bed, his scholarship to Florida State all but already pulled. This pride, this tradition was encoded on the community’s DNA, and it was born out of the blood, sweat, and tears of the program’s Godfather, head coach Bud Kilmer. Kilmer was Woody Hayes reincarnated—an old school, iron-fist-wielding tyrant who drove his teams to the brink both physically and emotionally—beyond the point of abuse—in his undying effort to claim his next district title.

But in time, that same dictatorial approach that produced unimagined success is what ultimately led to Kilmer’s downfall. Like any revolution, the masses (in this case, the players) got pushed one step too far, which helped them finally realize that there were a whole lotta them and only one of him, and they utilized their strength in numbers to assert their power and end the reign of terror.

And if not for the beauty of basic cable, we probably wouldn’t have heard of the Coyotes since.

A similar movie seems to be currently airing on the 40 Acres. Longhorn head man Rick Barnes—a hardnosed, unyieldingly demanding coach—has achieved remarkable (if underappreciated) success in Austin, stringing together 14 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (ending this year), reaching the Final Four, churning out a steady stream of NBA players, and taking the Texas program to never-before-seen heights.  But two transfers since mid-March—with another potentially looming—and key whiffs at the top of the recruiting board indicate that Barnes could now be a leader with no followers.

It’s been one negative story after another of late, and it’s driven UT hoops to a program-defining tipping point. Can Barnes turn this thing around, or has he passed the point of no return? Discussions in the media and on message boards have produced predictably negative results—in the black-and-white world of sports, the default position is to automatically burn anyone at the stake who doesn’t meet our ridiculously high standards. But it’s never that simple, and it isn’t in this case. On one hand, Barnes has proven that his uncompromising style can produce results. On the other, once players will no longer play for you, well, you’re simply a guy in a logoed polo with a whistle around your neck.

There’s a real dilemma at play here, and each point of view is based in a solid foundation of facts. And if you can scrape away enough of the hyperbole and knee-jerk fan reaction, you’ll see that the argument ultimately boils down to the answer of one simple question:

Has Rick Barnes become Bud Kilmer?

Follow Hook ‘Em Headlines on Twitter!

You can contact Brent Stoller at hookemheadlines@gmail.com.