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Rick Barnes reportedly adding veteran assistant to Tennessee coaching staff
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Rick Barnes is riding a prolonged stretch of success for Tennessee basketball in Knoxville. Now, he’s reportedly adding a veteran college basketball assistant to his staff with the Vols ahead of the 2025-26 season.
According to Joe Tipton with On3 Sports, Barnes is reportedly adding veteran assistant Steve McClain to his staff. McClain most recently served as an SEC basketball assistant at Texas under Rodney Terry and also served on the Georgia staff of Tom Crean.
McClain’s time in college basketball dates all the way back to the early 1980s, and he has a 324-224 career head coaching record. His most recent head coaching stint came at UI Chicago from 2015-20, and McClain also spent time as the head coach at Wyoming and Hutchinson CC.
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With a new piece to his coaching staff, Barnes will look to get Tennesse over the hump to the program’s first-ever Final Four appearance after some near misses. The Vols have advanced to the Sweet 16 in 3 straight March Madness appearances, including back-to-back trips to the Elite Eight. Unfortunately, Tennessee was blown out by Houston in the regional finals this season.
To rebuild the roster in the offseason, Barnes added the 12th high school recruiting class in the country, including the nation’s No. 4 overall prospect in 5-star forward Nate Ament. The Vols also added a trio of impact transfers, including former Vanderbilt big man Jaylen Carey.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
