By MIKE SAELENS, of the Potomac News
FAIRFAX – For the second time in a year, George Mason University is looking for a men’s head basketball coach.
One year to the day after taking the job, Rick Barnes has agreed to become the new men’s head coach at Providence College.
Barnes, 32, informed George Mason University athletic director Jack Kvancz of his decision Thursday afternoon, just hours before the start of a banquet honoring the 1987-88 Patriot basketball team.
Team members were told of the decision at an 8 a.m. meeting today, Kvancz said.
Barnes was to be introduced by Providence officials at a 1 p.m. press conference today.
“It was an extremely difficult decision for me to make,” Barnes said. “When I came back to George Mason a year ago, I said it was like coming home. And it was. This place has always been special to me, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to coach in the Big East.”
Barnes becomes the third head coach in as many seasons at Providence. Gordon Chisea resigned under pressure after leading the Friars to a disappointing 12-17 record in a season that was marked by previous disputes with his players.
Providence was the lone member of the Big East not invited to postseason play.
Two years ago, Rick Pitino led the Friars to a 25-9 record and the NCAA Final Four before leaving to become the head coach of the NBA New York Knicks.
In his only season as a head coach, Barnes took the Patriots to a 20-12 record, losing by three points to Richmond in the championship game of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. It was the second tour of duty with George Mason for Barnes, who had spent five seasons at the top assistant to Joe Harrington, before leaving at the end of the 1984-85 season to take a similar post at the University of Alabama.
After one season with the Crimson Tide, Barnes moved on to Ohio State, where he coached under Gary Williams for one season before returning to GMU last April, when Harrington left to take the head coaching job at Long Beach State.
“I want to put excitement back into the game,” Barnes said when he took the job at George Mason.
With the help of a fast-paced “run-and-gun” style of play, the 1987-88 Patriots averaged more than 81 points per game and won 11 of 13 home games, the most in four years.
The season’s 20 wins, second-highest in team history, featured a nine-game winning streak that put the Patriots in contention for first place in the CAA, and included wins over Wichita State and Virginia Commonwealths, both of which advanced to postseason play.
But there were disappointments, most notably the lack of a postseason bid. Despite a 20-win season, George Mason was not invited to the NCAA or NIT tournaments.
“The ones that I feel for are the players I’m leaving behind,” said Barnes. “I feel very close to them, and no matter how long I remain in coaching, they’ll still be my players.”
Barnes was making plans for next season when he was contacted by Providence officials last week.
“I had no idea this was coming,” he said. “I didn’t go after this job, they came after me. Jack Kvancz did everything humanly possibly to make this as pleasant and as enjoyable for me. It’s just an offer I couldn’t afford to refuse.”
There was no immediate word on who might succeed Barnes at George Mason. Barnes declined to speculate on who might get the job.
“I’m sure that Jack Kvancz has a very definite idea of what he’s looking for in a head coach,” said Barnes.
Reprinted from the Potomac News, Woodbridge, VA April 22, 1998.
MKS Communications 