The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) has announced its 2018 NABC All-District coaches, as selected by their peers, and Tennessee’s Rick Barnes earned that distinction for District 21.
The NABC’s District 21 includes all 14 Southeastern Conference schools.
This adds to an already extensive honors haul for Barnes this season, as he also was tabbed as the SEC Coach of the Year (Coaches and AP) and the USBWA District IV Coach of the Year. Barnes also is a finalist for the Werner Ladder Naismith Trophy for Men’s College Coach of the Year.
In his third season with the Volunteers, Barnes guided Tennessee to the fourth-most wins in program history, as the team finished 26-7. The Vols won the regular-season SEC Championship, advanced to the SEC Tournament Championship Game and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Tennessee spent 14 consecutive weeks ranked in the AP top 25, climbing as high as No. 13. The Big Orange swept its three permanent SEC opponents during the regular season, going 6-0 against Kentucky, South Carolina and Vanderbilt en route to a 13-5 league finish.
Tennessee’s defensive statistics during its 2017-18 championship season stood among the top programs nationally. The Vols led the SEC and ranked sixth nationally in the Pomeroy defensive efficiency ratings (92.5 points allowed per 100 possessions). Tennessee also led the SEC in scoring defense (65.7 ppg) while ranking second in the league in 3-point field-goal defense (.318).
About the National Association of Basketball Coaches
Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men’s basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today’s student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at www.nabc.com.
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