New UT basketball coach Rick Barnes has a lot of connections to the Knoxville area.
His wife, Candy, graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1975 with a degree in biology.
Barnes saw the Rocky Top traditions first-hand, on visits to Knoxville from the young couple's hometown in North Carolina.
Barnes was born and raised just a three hour drive over the mountains in Hickory, where Barnes played college basketball at Lenoir Rhyne, and earned the nickname Little Ricky From Hickory. His 84-year-old mother still lives there.
He eventually found a career in basketball as a coach, working his way up to the head jobs at George Mason, Providence, and Clemson.
Barnes formed a reputation as a fearless young coach, not intimidated or afraid to face off with anyone, he even had a famous exchange with legendary coach Dean Smith.
What Barnes really forged at Clemson was a reputation for building a basketball winner at a big orange football school.
He did the same thing at the burnt orange of Texas, recruiting guys like T.J. Ford, Kevin Durant, and winning everything possible short of a national championship.
Through it all, Barnes also stayed deeply committed to his family. He has a son, a daughter, and now a couple of grandchildren-- his daughter and son-in-law adopted from Uganda.
And for Barnes, the newest home where he'll start over is where his family started in the first place.
