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Rick Barnes strongly denies report that he was the one to initiate contact with UCLA

Adam Spencer

By Adam Spencer

Published:

Recently, Tennessee managed to keep Rick Barnes in Knoxville after UCLA tried to hire him as their new basketball coach.

This week, a report by The Athletic’s Seth Davis mentioned that Barnes was the one to reach out to the Bruins about the job, but Barnes wanted to make it clear that wasn’t the case.

Per Tennessee insider Jimmy Hyams, Barnes called that report “an absolute lie,” insisting that someone representing UCLA was the first to contact him about the opening:

Either way, Barnes decided to turn down UCLA and remain in Knoxville, and Tennessee fans are generally happy he’s staying put.

Now, we’ll see if he can continue to keep the Vols relevant on a national scale moving forward.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.

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