Rick Barnes' tough approach working for Longhorns
AUSTIN, Texas -- Three months into the season, two hours into the practice, Rick Barnes was pushing his players to quit.
It was a practice like none had seen or experienced before. And Barnes, always a stick before the carrot coach, was even more unrelenting than usual.
"He was just really hard on us at that practice," point guard Sterling Gibbs said.
In Barnes' mind, he had no other choice. This was a young team, void of cohesion, clouded by confusion. There was no clear leader. There was no common voice or goal. They were directionless. They were without focus. They were lost. And they were losing.
So Barnes would step in. He would force them to make a choice. Right then. Right there.
"Instead of just falling apart, we came together even more," Gibbs said. "That was one of the turning points in our season."
Read the rest of the story here.
Carter Strickland | email
Reporter, HornsNation- Reporter for HornsNation
- Covers Texas Longhorns sports and recruiting
- Joined ESPN in 2011
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