Knoxville, Tenn. – Parenthood is one of the “greatest gifts ever when God blesses you with.”
Tennessee’s head coach Rick Barnes highlighted how becoming a father changed him as a coach.
This insight comes after the news of Lady Vols’ Head Coach, Kim Caldwell recently delivering her first child. Her husband, Justin, is also on Barnes’ staff.
Barnes Lightheartedly said that he’s been giving the couple fatherly advice for months now.
“I’m really excited for both of ’em,” said Barnes. “(Justin) was excited. He came back yesterday and he tried to tell me, you guys didn’t tell me all of it and I said, ‘We did. You just didn’t listen.’ I really am excited for both of them. And so every day now I’m gonna get some kind of details that I can eventually use against Coach Caldwell. Kim.”
Barnes is now a grandparent, which he says is not overrated.
“Unbelievable. It’s one of the greatest gifts ever when God blesses you with a child. And now being a grandfather, I can tell you, being a grandparent is not overrated. It’s unbelievable.”
After Justin made his return to the practice, his demeanor brought Barnes back to when he was a new father.
Barnes said, “(Justin Caldwell) came in last night, he had a beam on his face. He really did.”
Barnes became a father in 1988 when he had his daughter, Carley.
“I can imagine, you know, my daughter was born on the day of my very first conference game as a head coach. And I can remember going to the game, but so excited to get back. And I can remember sitting there holding her for two and a half hours from midnight till two in the morning until she had to go back to her mom to feed. And I can just remember the glow on her face and I didn’t wanna let her go. And I’m sure he (Justin) feels like that right now too. And the same was true of my son, obviously.”
Barnes did end up winning that game, too.
Barnes had Carly on January 9th, around the same time Kim and Justin had their son. Which promoted this humorous exchange between the head coaches.
“I asked Kim one day, I said, ‘Who would plan on having a baby in the middle of January?’ knowing that my daughter was born on the ninth of January. But I didn’t have to deliver it, thank goodness.”
His greatest piece of advice he shared with the Caldwells is to not prioritize your job over your family.
A mistake he wishes he didn’t make.
“If your job is your identity, you’re gonna really struggle. Because there’s so much more, and I did it. I put it first and it was some of the worst times of my life that I wish I could go back and be 36 years old again. And I’d do so many things differently because I lost my way, but thank God that he didn’t leave me. And that’s my foundation now, my relationship with Jesus Christ. But the fact is, if you make this bigger than it is, it’ll eat you alive,” said Barnes.