A win, win: Barnes not only can coach, he makes it fun

In an era where coaches have as much personality as a fountain pen or the sense of humor of a Vegas casino security grunt who just nabbed a card counter, there is the anti-drone, Rick Barnes.

Barnes has figured out how to win and have some laughs along the way. (Getty Images)

Rick Barnes is funny. Rick Barnes doesn't think he's smarter than everyone in the room. He doesn't treat sports like it's y = mx + b or that talking basketball will reveal some threat to national security. Rick Barnes isn't Bob Knight and that's a great thing.

He might be the least self-promoting coach in big-time college coaching who also happens to be great.

Thank you, Rick Barnes, for not being a pompous ass.

And being able to laugh even if you might be a little wacky.

"My first impression was he was crazy," laughed Barnes' one time assistant, Frank Haith, when asked about his friend. "I mean really, really crazy. I mean, the guy will say anything. You guys know that."

"I don't know if I want to use the word crazy," Barnes said. "I would say that I enjoy having a laugh and having fun. I like my staff. I love kidding around, cutting up with them, and I think that we've had staffs over the years that really, the different personalities really mesh. I think what we do is important to us, but I don't think it's the end all ...

"Like I mentioned, when I started Frank and I spent a lot of time sitting in gyms and going back and forth between rental cars to the airport, going from gym to gym, and so we've had some good times together. He would probably tell you I can make some off-the-wall statements at times just to get a rise out of people, which I might do at times, which I've done at times. But again, I don't know if crazy would be the word. When I was younger, maybe, but I don't think today I am."

But beneath the Barnes humor, lack of self promotion and laid back fuzziness is a basketball savant, undervalued by some because he's in football country, under-appreciated by others because he refuses to be a jerk.

It sometimes seems like jerks in the coaching business get more respect from fans and the media than non-chest thumpers like Barnes. See: Bob "E, F, G, H, I, K, L, N, Z" Huggins.

Barnes has a Final Four appearance and over a dozen consecutive tournament showings under his belt. There is a substance and a capability to adapt as honed as anyone's in the sport.

"The one thing that impressed me the most with coach was the fact that I think he's willing to adjust, even on the fly," said Haith. "He's not afraid to take chances. I equate this to his time at Clemson, the style that they played at Clemson. He had those big physical post players, and they ran this motion offense and they worked clock. And then when we got to Texas, I was there with him we had T.J. Ford. It was a totally different style. Now they (have) D.J. Augustin. It's a totally different style. I think good coaches are able to adjust based on your personnel, and Rick was terrific at that.

"His first year at Clemson, this was the year they thought they wouldn't win a game. He didn't have any post players. I remember talking to him about some things they did. They used to run -- they ran clock and motion, did it with a heavy ball for 35 seconds and, you know, to create toughness within his team so he was -- he's that kind of coach. He's able to adjust to his personnel, and he's very good at that."

He's also very good at being humorous.

As documented in the Texas media and other places, there are a thousand Barnes-isms out there. Like what he said before playing Austin Peay in Arkansas, a state notorious for despising all things Longhorn. Barnes told fans in Little Rock to be nice to Texas or he would pull the Longhorns out of their scheduled game against Arkansas next year in Fayetteville.

"Obviously, and honestly, our guys don't know the rivalry that existed between Texas and Arkansas," Barnes said. "We're scheduled to come play Arkansas next year and if the fans don't treat us well, we're not going to come. You can put that out there. I'm serious. We've got enough money here we can buy our way out of it. So, they'd better be good to us."

It was typical Barnes, a total quip from the cuff. It was humorous even if it led to thousands of Arkansas fans in Little Rock booing Barnes every chance they got.

Once during a question and answer session with former Texas mega-talent Kevin Durant, Barnes joked how awful he felt for players Alando Tucker from Wisconsin, Texas A&M's Acie Law and North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough for having to "follow the Kevin Durant trophy tour" as Durant won each of the six national player of the year awards. Then he added: "I felt like looking at Acie and saying, 'Poooooor Aggie!'"

Recently, Barnes decided to give up cursing. If you've ever heard some college coaches during games they sound like stars of "Def Comedy Jam."

Barnes recently decided to cut back on the four-letter exclamations. The change has been so noticeable that in one recent huddle after Barnes exclaimed "Let's go kick some butt" much of the coaching staff cracked up. They didn't recognize the clean-mouth Barnes.

Perhaps one of the best Barnes stories comes from Haith, now at Miami. Haith recalled a scene from their trip to the Final Four.

"And this is how relaxed he is. This is a unique quality," said Haith. "Not many, many coaches have this quality, because I've been with a lot of different coaches. Biggest game of his career, getting ready to play in the Final Four. I used to stay in the locker room with him to talk with him. Obviously make fun ... your gear has got to be tight with him. Can't have a bad looking tie with a suit. So you got to make sure the gear is right. He likes to joke around. We're sitting there, and I'm talking to him. All of a sudden he is dead asleep, knocked out.

"This is 20 minutes before the tip-off. I'm talking, he's out. He's done. Then our athletic director walks in and all of sudden he wakes up. Team walks in, he turns it on just like that with the guys in terms of getting ready. We played Syracuse that day. Just that right there. The guy can turn it on and off real quick."

"I can confirm that," Barnes explained. "That did happen. I guess I was tired. That was true. The team was out warming up, and I dozed off. They came in, and I just told them I guess I needed a nap. I felt pretty good."

It's OK for Barnes to sleep.

Just don't sleep on Barnes. No matter how much he makes you laugh.