Texas Basketball: A Closer Look at Coaching Candidates

Jan 17, 2015; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Rick Barnes reacts against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second half at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center. Texas beat West Virginia 77-50. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

Anytime there is a coaching change, social media outlets light up with rumor after rumor after rumor of possible replacements.

Since the Texas Longhorns and Rick Barnes officially parted ways on Sunday, several names have been thrown out as possible targets to take over the reigns of the Texas basketball program.

Barnes leaves Texas on amicable terms. Most fans, though the majority agree it was time for a change, will agree that Barnes is the one who put the Longhorns in the conversation as a nationally recognized basketball program, putting the Longhorns on the map.

During his long ternure on the Forty Acres, he made the Horns a perennial participant in the NCAA Tournament, missing the Big Dance in just one of his 17 years in Austin.

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Additionally, he made Texas a destination school for many of the top recruits across the country, including T.J. Ford, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Durant, and most recently, Myles Turner.

Barnes definitely shaped the Longhorns basketball programs into one of the top coaching jobs in the country.

As a result, there have been many up-and-coming coaches (and some more experienced and established coaches as well) who are rumored to be interested in making the move to Austin.

It’s certainly the beginning of a new era in Texas basketball, especially with plans for a new arena in the near future. Though Steve Patterson keeps things incredibly close to the vest, there are a few names that have popped up as possible candidates.

Here is a look at some of them, and what each one could bring to Texas.

Next: Gregg Marshall