Rick Barnes took over a Tennessee basketball program in some pretty big trouble. Trouble as in the program wasn’t going in the right direction. The program was coming off of a 16-16 season and head coach at the time Donnie Tyndall was rumored to have trouble with the NCAA.
Not to mention Tyndall wasn’t the best recruiter either. In fairness, he was following Cuonzo Martin who actually recruited quite well. Guys like Jarnell Stokes, Armani Moore, and Robert Hubbs come to mind.
And, that doesn’t even compare to the type of player Bruce Pearl was recruiting to Tennessee.