Did Rick Barnes Call Jordan Hamilton "Uncoachable"? [UPDATE: No]
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Jun 24, 2011 11:30 AM CDT
in Texas Longhorns Basketball
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PrintUpdate: Jordan Hamilton says on Twitter that he was misquoted: "Thank God for twitter because my words got turned around. I thank Coach Barnes for everything he has done for me & my career. Hook em Horns"
--PB--
In the midst of an NBA Draft night that could only be called a success for the Texas Longhorns basketball program and the three former players taken in the first round, a Twitter report about a possible reason for Jordan Hamilton falling into the late first round sullied the evening.
National NBA writer Chris Tomasson spoke with Hamilton following the draft and the Denver-bound wing dropped a bombshell about why some teams might have passed on him:
Just talked to Jordan Hamilton. He said believes reason he slipped in draft was because coach Rick Barnes told teams he wasn’t 'coachable'
J. Hamilton: "(Barnes) called some teams and said that I probably wasn’t coachable and things like that. But I feel like I can be coachable'
Asked Jordan Hamilton how knows Rick Barnes allegedly called teams and said not coachable. Wouldn't give names, said "got some feedback.''
More Hamilton on Barnes: "I love Texas and everybody is entitled to their opinion.’’ But Hamilton still later called Barnes "great coach'
Barnes had made comments during the season about the strides made by Hamilton as a person and as a teammate following a freshman season that often saw selfish play from the California native. However, Barnes couched those words at the time by emphasizing Hamilton's improved maturity, a maturity that showed on the basketball court with better shot selection and consistently better body language.
For his part, Hamilton apologized to his teammates following his freshman season and went back and looked at every poor shot he took that year in an effort to improve his decision-making on the court. And he did.
So why would Barnes supposedly call teams and tell them that Hamilton is "uncoachable"? Surely, Hamilton was at times uncoachable -- his freshman season. Those problems seemed to melt away as a sophomore and criticizing former players seems both out of line for a coach in general, but more importantly out of character for a guy who has been consistent in looking out for the best interests of his players in the past, advising both TJ Ford and Kevin Durant not to return to school. If Barnes continued to have a problem with Hamilton, wouldn't he have addressed it with him personally?
If true, it's a black mark on both Barnes and the program that could influence future recruits in a highly negative manner. If it's not true, someone in NBA circles is spreading malicious rumors to undermine the Texas basketball program. As conspiracy theories go, that seems as far-fetched as any. So what is the truth and will it ever actually come to light?
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I really hope this didn't happen
Would be embarrassing on a lot of levels for the Texas basketball program.
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I seriously doubt Barnes would do that...
I was under the impression that the characterization of Hamilton in “Play Their Hearts Out” was the reason.
Low odds
The odds of this being true are remote.
I would expect Barnes to be honest with NBA guys, but to be honest and still paint his guys in a good light. It isn’t in his best interest to lie to the NBA guys, but it’s not in his best interest to belittle his players either.
Barnes knows how to play the game.
Easy mark
Now that his UT playing days are in the rearview mirror, must be o.k. to throw the old coach under the bus. His statement is another example of his immaturity. Be a man and name names or GTFO.
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Hell, even if it is true it shouldn't have been said.
Nothing good comes of a comment like this. If Hamilton really does “love Texas”, he should have kept his mouth shut.
Not good either way
Either Coach Barnes badmouthed a player to NBA brass or Hamilton is alibing for his fall by throwing his old coach under the bus.
Who are you?!
I'm Kick Ass!
My guess
The truth is somwhere in the middle. I am sure if asked Barnes would talk about Jordan’s attitude problems and his strides made in those areas. My guess is Jordan’s “feedback” is two or three people down the line from who Rick Barnes spoke to and may not have been all inclusive or entirely accurate.
On the other hand, I really don’t care if Barnes did call Jordan “uncoachable” as long as he had previously told this to Jordan directly. Sometimes the truth hurts, and sometimes what’s best for a person is the truth. So if that’s what Barnes believes, I think it is OK for him to say it.
Jordan Hamilton just tweeted this...
Jordan Hamilton
Thank God for twitter because my words got turned around. I thank Coach Barnes for everything he has done for me & my career. Hook em Horns
by jdwall12 on Jun 24, 2011 12:32 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
If anything was actually said like that
it makes more sense that he said something along the lines of…Hamilton was “uncoachable” during times of his freshman year (no big secret) but truly learned from his mistakes. He had his occasional relapse last year but was maturing daily.
Definitely agree
that there may be some missing context here.
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by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Jun 24, 2011 1:15 PM CDT up reply actions
Doesn't add up
I’m guessing Jordan got misquoted somehow. No chance Barnes would do that. I can’t fathom it.
You ain't hurt...
Or
Or Jordan got some bad information. Either way, I just can’t see Barnes telling NBA teams that.
You ain't hurt...
It's too bad Dallas traded him to Denver.
Now he will never (or learn how to play) defense..I was actually looking forward to playing with great defenders like Marion and Kidd and being coached by Carlisle….
Texas Fight!
does it really matter?
you guys had 3 guys drafted in the first round. do you really think some random tweet is going to hurt recruiting? BTW, glad NBA scouts saw in Thompson what I saw in him. He could never improve is offensive game and still be a 10 year starter in the league at the 4 b/c of his rebounding and shot blocking.
jordun hamilton
I still find it difficult to care one way or the other about Hamilton, or Joseph & Thompson. If they’re all so “Hookem Horns” why did they bolt to the money instead of staying at the school they “love”? It would be nice gesture—heck, it would be a nice NCAA rule—that players who leave early repay their respective schools for the balance of their scholarships so that others, who might actually play for a school they love, a chance that the money-grubbers essentially robbed them of. As a 50-year Horns fan, I’m really getting tired of this. If it was OK for Ricky Williams, it should be OK for the rest.
I actually agree with this in a sense
If you want to go, go. But don’t give me this jive about how much you love the school when you are a late first round draft pick. That stuff should be reserved for guys like Kevin Durant who had no choice but to go because playing college basketball literally cannot improve their games at a reasonable extent.
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by GoHornsGo90 on Jun 25, 2011 12:03 PM CDT up reply actions
Yep.
I am guessing CoJo got a guarantee from the Spurs or a couple of other teams and saw the writing on the wall that his draft stock was probably never going up as a PG.
Hamilton on the other hand probably could have worked himself into a lottery pick if he followed the Kemba Walker route and showed himself to the the best scrorer around over a couple of seasons. Bad decision.
by Erasmus Funderburke on Jun 25, 2011 1:09 PM CDT up reply actions
With CoJo, I think it had a lot to do with Kabongo coming in next year.
Joseph probably wasn’t going to hold down the point guard spot very long.
why do you go to college?
you go to college so you can get a good paying job when you get out and become a success later in life. do you think anyone is going to get offered millions of dollars per year after getting their bachelors. if they invest properly, they can be set for life. they would be stupid not to go.
His main point
Is that they have zero right to proclaim to “love” a school they were affiliated with for a year before leaving, despite the option to return. It’s just painful from a fan perspective to hear that kind of backwards logic bandied around by players that you suspect are just saying it to appease other people. When you hear it year after year the hypocrisy adds up and eventually it just boils over. Can you really blame those of us that are for being frustrated?
Follow me on Twitter @GoHornsGo90
If you were treated like a king on 6th street
Had meals bought for you, got into clubs with no cover, drinks on the house, wouldn’t you love the school and program that made that possible even if you were only there for 12 months?
I don’t see any of you getting disgruntled when Durant says he loves your school.
by miketag on Jun 26, 2011 7:26 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Please read
Earlier post re: KD
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by GoHornsGo90 on Jun 26, 2011 11:55 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Your statement was somewhat amusing
He had a choice just like Tim Duncan had a choice. He chose to go after the money (which I agree with btw). Did Chris Mihm love Texas more than Durant?
by miketag on Jun 26, 2011 7:11 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
He very well might have. Durant wasn't even from Texas.
If you don’t grow up loving the ‘Horns, it’s not like it’s in their blood – like it was with Colt McCoy. It’s so much easier to bolt for the money when you’re not a lifelong fan of that school.
The love could be genuine
I am usually pretty cynical, but it is at least plausible that these guys really do have a strong attachment to the university after only one year. I had a pretty strong attachment after my first year.
Also, the life of a top high school player is a lot different than the life of a typical kid. Take Tristan for example. He played at three different high schools before enrolling at Texas. The longest he has been in one place after his freshmen year of high school is a year and a half. A year at a school seems like a pretty good chunk of time when this is your frame of reference; certainly long enough to form attachments.
You might be right
I’m still skeptical though! Especially about Jordan who purportedly had an extremely rough first year and almost xferred.
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by GoHornsGo90 on Jun 26, 2011 11:57 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
His second year went a lot better
But none of us knows how Jordan really feels about his time at Texas. Given this, I am probably going to lean towards taking his comments at face value. This is largely a personal choice, and I can’t fault your skepticism.
I am always afraid of projecting too much onto athletes. Most of the time, we only see them on the court. But the way a player seems and acts on the court doesn’t necessarily tell us that much about what they are really like.
One good Texas basketball example of this is Gabe Muoneke. Gabe was an intense player on the court, with a short fuse. He had the on-court reputation as being a bit of a knucklehead. Off the court, Muoneke is a pretty thoughtful guy. He studied engineering at around the same time I did at Texas, and while I never had a class with him, everyone I knew that did thought he was pretty sharp.
Now, I know almost nothing about Hamilton, other than what I see on the court. I know that he had pretty good grades while at Texas, but other than that I don’t know anything else about him. So how he plays and carries himself on the court largely affects how I potentially view Jordan Hamilton. And I know this probably misses much of what is important. So I really start from the perspective that I know nothing about him, and take what he says at face value until given some reason to do otherwise.
Right
because it isn’t like they brought in enough money for the program to pay for their scholarships and room & board by their play on the court.
The idea that they somehow ‘owe’ the athletic department money is laughably stupid.
I didn't even read that part
Obviously I don’t agree with that statement.
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by GoHornsGo90 on Jun 25, 2011 11:34 PM CDT up reply actions
Mike is right.
Much to do about something that will be forgotten. I think Rick’s cred is strong enough to handle this. My guess is that Jordan was totally shocked by his drop in the draft and may have said something he did not really mean.
I don't think you can say "no".
We all know he said it. Although maybe he didn’t use the word “uncoachable”. He probably just said that coaching him up isn’t easy and that you kind of just have to let him play his game.
Hammy often didn’t care or respect coach Barnes. He just wanted to use the opportunity to get to the NBA. He did want he wanted out there on the court. Especially in his freshman year. I think all of us were thinking “who is this kid who is just randomly jacking up bricks the second someone passes him the ball?”
If Barnes did tell scouts that it’s only because of the disrespect Jordan sometimes showed Rick Barnes.
"Hey, don't y'all think that's beautiful right there? That crystal is SO beautiful. And it's coming home to Texas." - Vince Young
I think you may have him confused with JCB
I never saw Hamilton disrepsect Barnes so much as show disappointment when he screwed up.
by Erasmus Funderburke on Jun 25, 2011 1:13 PM CDT up reply actions
They showed some mutual disrespect
During the end of the KU game lol.
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That incident was so misunderstood.
It’s okay for a coach to be intense with a player – even a star player – on the court. If the coach barks at you, then listen to him and correct the problem. I really don’t think that scenario was at all out of order for the situation. In my view, Rick got hot and JHam barked back to explain his view. That’s all it was – no disrespect either way. I guarantee you that the win vs. KU was all that was important to either one of ’em.
I don't think it was misunderstood at all
Any time a player comes back at a coach that vehemently during a game it’s going to be construed negatively. The fact that Barnes started screaming at him speaks to the fact that he wasn’t happy with what Jordan was saying, whether it was logical or not (which it likely wasn’t, since Jordan made a moronic play by passing to Tristan). You can’t just absolve everything players and coaches do for the sake of deifying them. Sometimes people just make mistakes.
I’m not trying to say it was a huge deal or anything, but it WAS without a doubt a potential instance from which the “Jordan isn’t coachable” quotes could have emanated, if that actually did happen, which I think was somewhat possible on a level less blatant that what was originally stated. For instance: “Jordan was at times a tough kid to coach” instead of “Jordan is uncoachable.”
Even with all that aside, the KU situation was the wrong time to freak out on Jordan from a coaching perspective. Rick should have been focusing on winning the game in an end-game situation instead of yelling at Hamilton. He could have done that 5 minutes later in the locker room. Just bad coaching IMO.
Follow me on Twitter @GoHornsGo90
We'll just have to agree to disagree on our perspectives. I respect your opinion, though.
I generally loathe hot-headed coaches but Rick has a history of self-control in situations like that. JHam has a history of undisciplined play. Rick WAS focusing on winning in an end-game situation. That’s the whole point! It’s OKAY for a coach to bark at a player, star or not. As to my original reply, it doesn’t necessarily mean that either guy was disrespecting the other. It’s just part of the game. If you watch the play, the incident, and the follow-thru of ALL banter, they ended it quickly and moved on together to the next situation in the game. I watched the video many times. So, “yelling” at a player is forbidden now? Seriously? Rick disapproved of what his players did at that point & he needed to get their heads screwed on to win the end of a huge game – and they did, thankfully. Aside from the tourney, that was the biggest game of the season. You don’t think it’s okay for a coach to get intense? Rick didn’t belabor the point or freak out. He did it quickly, made his point, & moved on. Bobby Knight says, “Sometimes, it’s okay to raise your voice.” (That quote was not genuine.)
Dude seriously?
i find it hard to belive people are taking all this stuff seriously.
Whats with all the Hammy hate. The kid came back to play his sophmore year..
Tristan Thompson went in the top 5 in the draft. COJO went in the 1st to the spurs….
Going to the NBA is every ballers dream and what they dream about from the time they are little kids to grown men. Its a rare opportunity that doesnt come for everyone.
There is a rare person indeed who comes back when slotted in the lotto… the exception being when a team suffers a major disappointment that causes them to come back to make a run for a championship and then leave. Even that is rare.
If as a sophmore in college a top 5 company comes around and makes you their CEO do you turn it down to manage things for free at school? 90% of the people out there would bolt for the job security and the money.
I cant belive Rick would actually hurt the draft stock of one his players by calling him uncoachable…
As said above. Rick knows the game – he isnt going to do something stupid like that.
"Slammed that hoe on the counter like I just got 35 on the domino table!!"
Sherrod Harris
I see three Horns drafted again next year.
Myck will go in the lotto, JCB will come out early and be 2nd round, ala D. Gib. and one of the other four freshman will have a monster year and be a late 1st round pick. And the doors keeps revolving.
Do not be distracted by what you see, but be transformed by what you believe.
Haha
This is funny because the pessimism and cynicism just oozes out from the comment but when you think about it you’re probably spot on 2Cor.
Follow me on Twitter @GoHornsGo90
by GoHornsGo90 on Jun 25, 2011 12:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Maybe they just watched film and concluded he was uncoachable
Change isn't good or bad it just "is". Don Draper of Madmen
This seems like overkill
This is an overreaction to a random tweet.
Oh, wow, some random nobody sportswriter said this player said this about his former coach after said player was taken in the first round.
The comment in question will have zero effect on Barnes, because he just had three freaking players taken in the first round,. What are people going to say? Don’t go to texas, the coach might call you uncoachable, and you’ll still be drafted in the first round anyway?
by Beergut on Jun 25, 2011 10:01 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Don't believe the story
Last year (to the consternation of many of us) Rick Barnes said he had rather help young men reach their dreams in the NBA than win a national championship. Given that philosophy, I don’t think Barnes would say anything that would cause the stock of any of his player to drop in the NBA draft.
"Only angry people win football games." --DKR
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