{"id":552500,"date":"2026-03-29T15:15:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T15:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/552500\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T15:15:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T15:15:07","slug":"the-rick-barnes-way-tennessees-culture-of-faith-is-bigger-than-basketball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/552500\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rick Barnes Way: Tennessee\u2019s Culture Of Faith Is Bigger Than Basketball"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHICAGO \u2014 Through both the highs and lows of his coaching career, Tennessee <\/a>head coach Rick Barnes has never hesitated to share how deeply his faith guides him.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, those moments come when you least expect them.<\/p>\n

Following Tennessee\u2019s win over Iowa State on Friday night, Barnes made his way toward the Vols\u2019 locker room after speaking with the media. Along the way, he noticed Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger and his players sitting in a holding area, waiting to face the media after an emotional loss.<\/p>\n

Barnes stopped.<\/p>\n

He shook hands with each player and Otzelberger, offering a simple message: “God bless you guys. Great season.”<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t performative. It wasn\u2019t about the win.<\/p>\n

It was who Rick Barnes<\/a> is.<\/p>\n

Some might assume the Tennessee coach was caught up in the moment after a victory. But those who know Barnes understand this is not an act \u2014 it\u2019s a reflection of his genuine, long-standing faith.<\/p>\n

Tom Izzo, Rick Pitino, Rick Barnes Realize College Sports Are \u2018Broken\u2019\u2014But They Love It Too Much To Leave<\/a><\/p>\n

“I wish, at their age, I would’ve gone deeper in my relationship with Jesus Christ,” Rick Barnes said<\/a>. “That’s one of the reasons why, when I came to Tennessee eleven years ago, we started this thing called \u2018Power Talk\u2019, and we have for eleven years. It’s a gospel message we have before our pregame meals. It’s the most important thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I’m proud of these guys, because when they get older, they will find out that it\u2019s really the main thing. And, I think we all need to learn how to keep our thoughts on the main thing.”<\/p>\n

Barnes has consistently pointed to his faith as a guiding force, noting that while he was technically fired by Texas, he took it as God taking him to Knoxville as part of a bigger plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since arriving at Tennessee, Barnes has built the Vols into a consistent force in the SEC. Now in his 11th season, Tennessee is once again in the Elite Eight \u2014 its third straight appearance \u2014 with a Final Four berth within reach.<\/p>\n

Big Ten Dominance Is No Accident: Now Tennessee’s Own History Stands Between Michigan And Final Four<\/a><\/p>\n

While roster construction and transfer portal success have played a role in that consistency, there\u2019s something deeper driving this program.<\/p>\n

After Friday\u2019s win, Tennessee players and coaches gathered in the locker room, took a knee, and recited the Lord\u2019s Prayer \u2014 a reflection of the culture Barnes and his players have built that takes place before and after each game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dan Hurley Discusses Importance Of Faith And Fatherhood Ahead Of UConn’s Showdown With Duke<\/a><\/p>\n

Freshman Nate Ament, who has been on campus for less than a year, has already felt that lasting impact.<\/p>\n

“If I can add real fast, especially doing it before the game and after the game, just to know that good performance, bad performance, win or loss, Jesus is always there for you,” Ament explained<\/a>. “Your worth isn’t in how you play as a basketball player, but it’s what Christ has done for you. You’re a child of his.<\/p>\n

“If we all understand that, it kind of allows us to play with more confidence and play for something that isn’t a win or a loss, but to play so we can glorify him.”<\/p>\n

Vols’ Take After Coach Rick Barnes, On And Off The Court<\/p>\n

Creating buy-in year after year isn\u2019t easy in today\u2019s college basketball landscape. The Vols have eleven players on the roster who were not here just one year ago. That means, every season, the Tennessee head coach has to instill his basketball philosophies into a new group of young men.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But at Tennessee, players say Barnes\u2019 authenticity \u2014 especially in his faith \u2014 is a major reason they commit to the program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Specifically for me, it’s one of the reasons I chose Tennessee because of Coach Barnes and his faith,” Nate Ament said about Rick Barnes<\/a>. “It trickles throughout the whole coaching staff.<\/p>\n

“I think as a team, you’re trying to glorify something bigger than yourself. And, ultimately, something that is Jesus Christ and is God can only lead to good things. When you’re playing for something other than your own glory and the glory of others, the glory of your teammates, the glory of Christ, only good things can happen from there if you’re being selfless and trying to take care of each other.”<\/p>\n

For Ethan Burg, born in Ramat Gan, Israel, the sophomore noted the sense of community, which also comes from the \u2018Power-Talks\u2019 the team holds as a group, stands out just as much.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m Jewish, so \u2014 I\u2019m joking,” Burg said with a smile<\/a>. “I enjoy taking part in it. It\u2019s a beautiful tradition. It brings us together. The camaraderie we have in the locker room \u2014 I think it\u2019s beautiful, and I enjoy being a part of that.”<\/p>\n

The Small Things Pay Off In Monumental Ways For Tennessee<\/p>\n

That bond has shown itself in difficult moments, with Ethan Burg being a perfect example of teammates fighting for each other, even during the worst situations imaginable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Barnes recalled when Ethan Burg was struggling earlier this season with the turmoil in his native country, he asked Burg if quitting was something he wanted to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“He said, \u2018Coach, I will never, ever quit on these guys. I promise you,\u2019” Barnes mentioned. “He told me, \u2018This is the first real team I\u2019ve ever been a part of. Even if I never play another minute, I will never quit on these guys, I promise you. I love them.\u2019<\/p>\n

“You\u2019ve got to realize, his family has been in and out of bunkers in Tel Aviv for months. It\u2019s been tough on him, but he\u2019s handled it really, really well. That was one of the greatest things any player has ever said to me.”<\/p>\n

Barnes\u2019 openness has also created an environment in which players feel comfortable expressing their own beliefs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Another reason I came here is because you can be unafraid to show your faith,” Bishop Boswell mentioned. “We do that before and after every game. It\u2019s something a lot of guys value.<\/p>\n

“But even if you don\u2019t believe in Jesus Christ, it\u2019s still a safe space for everyone to have conversations. That\u2019s huge.”<\/p>\n

Today, Tennessee will try to do something it has never done \u2014 reach the Final Four.<\/p>\n

For those inside the program, this run is about more than basketball.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about purpose.<\/p>\n

And for Rick Barnes, that purpose has never wavered \u2014 even as the game he loves or the rosters he assembles continue to change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CHICAGO \u2014 Through both the highs and lows of his coaching career, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":552501,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[99],"class_list":{"0":"post-552500","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=552500"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552500\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/552501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=552500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=552500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=552500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}