The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Men's Basketball

THE BARNES FILE Personal Information Full Name: Richard Dale Barnes Born: July 17, 1954 Hometown: Hickory, N.C. High School: Hickory College: Lenoir-Rhyne, 1977 Wife: Candy Children: Nick (wife Rachel), Carley (husband Josh) Grandchildren: Avery, Caleb, Emma, Isla, Theo, Elder and Everett Coaching Experience 1977-78: North State Academy, assistant coach 1978-80: Davidson, assistant coach 1980-85: George Mason, assistant coach 1985-86: Alabama, assistant coach 1986-87: Ohio State, assistant coach 1987-88: George Mason, head coach 1988-94: Providence, head coach 1994-98: Clemson, head coach 1998-2015: Texas, head coach 2015-present: Tennessee, head coach TENNESSEE HIGHLIGHTS Eighth-most wins in Division I from 2017-18 through 2025-26 (226) and most wins in SEC play (109) Eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances (all seeded sixth or better) Three SEC championships (two regular season, one tournament) Five Sweet 16 appearances (four in a row) Three Elite Eight berths (consecutively) 2022 Battle 4 Atlantis champion 2025 Baha Mar Championship champion 2018-19 Naismith National Coach of the Year Award and USBWA Henry Iba National Coach of the Year Award 2017-18 SEC Coach of the Year and runner-up for Naismith National Coach of the Year Two-time NABC District 21 Coach of the Year, two-time USBWA District 4 Coach of the Year and two-time TSWA Coach of the Year (all 2017-18 and 2018-19) Has produced 10 NBA Draft picks, all since 2019 (third-most of any school or coach in that time) C

Empty heading THE MORGAN FILE Personal Information Full Name: Amorrow Ford Morgan Born: Oct. 8, 1987, in Memphis, Tenn. Hometown: Memphis, Tenn. High School: Cordova College: Idaho State, 2012 Wife: Michelle Coaching Experience 2013-14: Illinois-Springfield, assistant coach 2014-15: Our Lady of the Lake, assistant coach 2015-17: Henderson State, assistant coach 2017-18: Nicholls State, assistant coach 2018-19: South Alabama, assistant coach 2019-21: South Alabama, associate head coach 2021-23: Loyola Chicago, assistant coach 2023-25: Cal, assistant coach 2025-Present: Tennessee, assistant coach University of Tennessee head men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes announced May 2, 2025, the hiring of Amorrow (Uh-MARR-Oh) Morgan as the program’s newest assistant coach. Morgan possesses 13 years of collegiate coaching experience, including nine at the Division I level. He worked at Cal for two seasons before coming to Knoxville, Tenn “I am thrilled to welcome Amorrow to Rocky Top. As soon as we knew we had a decision to make, it was immediately clear Amorrow would be our first choice,” Barnes said upon announcing Morgan’s hire. “He is a young, energetic coach with a sharp basketball mind who will make an impact with our program from day one. I know he will do all he can to help our players excel and that he will mesh with the strong culture we have in place.” In his first year at Tennessee, Morgan aided the program to a 25-12 (11-7 SEC) ledger, an Elite Eight appearance and a No. 12 f

THE LENTZ FILE Personal Information Full Name: William Bryan Lentz Born: April 17, 1977, in Lumberton, N.C. Hometown: Hickory, N.C. High School: Newton-Conover (Newton, N.C.) College: Lenoir-Rhyne, 2000 Wife: Christy Children: Luke and Owen COACHING/ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE 2001-08: Lenoir-Rhyne, assistant coach 2008-10: Lenoir-Rhyne, associate head coach 2010-14: Texas, special assistant/video coordinator 2014-18: Appalachian State, assistant coach 2018-24: Tennessee, director of player development 2024-Present: Tennessee, assistant coach Bryan Lentz joined the University of Tennessee men’s basketball staff in May 2018 as the director of player development. Now in his eighth year on Rocky Top, he earned a promotion to his current role as assistant coach in July 2024. With Lentz on staff, Tennessee owns a 175-65 (.729) record, an SEC regular season title (2024), an SEC Tournament crown (2022), five AP top-20 finishes and all three of the program’s AP top-five finishes. The Volunteers have played each of the six NCAA Tournaments since his hire, advancing to the Sweet 16 four teams and making a pair of Elite Eight trips. "Bryan has a strong basketball mind and possesses nearly a quarter-century of coaching experience," Barnes said upon announcing Lentz’s promotion. "His passion for assisting the young men in our program become the absolute best they can be, both on and off the court, is unrivaled. We have shared a great deal of success together, both during his first six seaso

Empty heading THE NEWMAN FILE Personal Information Full Name: Jason Chad Newman Born: Oct. 8, 1971, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Hometown: Chattanooga, Tenn. High School: Chattanooga Central College: Tennessee, 1994 Wife: Stacey Children: Katherine and Natalie ATHLETIC TRAINING EXPERIENCE 1995-97 Tennessee Graduate Assistant 1997-present Tennessee Athletic Trainer Chattanooga native Chad Newman is a senior associate director with the University of Tennessee’s sports medicine department. The longest-tenured member of the school’s athletic training staff, Newman provides around-the-clock, world-class care exclusively for men’s basketball student-athletes. Newman was selected by his SEC peers as the 2019 recipient of the Chris Patrick Award, presented at the annual SEC Sports Medicine Committee meetings. In January 2010, the Tennessee Athletic Trainer's Society (TATS) named Newman the Collegiate Athletic Trainer of the Year. “Chad’s the best,” VFL and NBA champion Jordan McRae said. “He genuinely cares about all of us and always looks out for what’s best for us. He spends a lot of time making sure minor bumps and bruises don’t turn into bigger injuries. Whenever we need him, Chad is always there.” The 2026-27 academic year will be Newman’s 32nd with the UT sports medicine staff and his 31st with the men’s basketball program. He joined the former in 1995-96 and the latter in 1996-97. During his tenure with the basketball team, the Volunteers have advanced to postseason play 23 times, ea

THE Coyle FILE Personal Information Full Name: Colin Patrick Coyne Born: April 8, 2001, in San Diego, Calif. Hometown: Fredericksburg, Va. High School: Staff...

Empty heading THE MEDENWALD FILE Personal Information Full Name: Garrett Steven Medenwald Born: Jan. 13, 1990, in Madison, Wis. Hometown: Green Bay, Wis. High School: Preble College: Wisconsin-Whitewater, 2013 Wife: Brittny Children: Case, Cleo and Ari Coaching Experience 2012-14: Texas, graduate manager 2014-15: Texas, strength and conditioning intern 2015-Present: Tennessee, director of men's basketball sports performance Garrett Medenwald (MAY-dihn-wald) is in his 12th year as Tennessee’s director of men’s basketball sports performance in 2026-27. His basketball-specific training methods and emphasis on injury prevention began to bear fruit for the Volunteers quickly upon his arrival on Rocky Top. Ten players who trained under Medenwald’s supervision at Tennessee have been selected in the NBA Draft, including four in the first round. All 10 are since 2019, good for the third-most of any school in the nation over the last seven years. In three straight years, 2021-23, a Volunteer led the NBA Draft Combine in max vertical leap: Keon Johnson in 2021 (all-time record of 48 inches), Kennedy Chandler in 2022 (41.5 inches) and Julian Phillips in 2023 (43 inches). At the 2019 NBA Draft Combine, point guard Jordan Bone posted the top overall result in four separate performance tests: no-step vertical leap (36 inches), lane agility drill (9.97), shuttle run (2.78) and three-quarter court sprint (3.03). In 2021, Johnson shattered the event’s all-time record in the max vertical jump w

Empty heading THE POLINSKY FILE Personal Information Full Name: Gregg Irwin Polinsky Born: March 15, 1958, in St. Louis, Mo. Hometown: St. Louis, Mo. High School: Ladue Horton Watkins College: Northern Arizona, 1981 Wife: Cindy Children: Abby and Brooke Coaching/Front Office Experience 1981-83: Howard Junior College, assistant coach 1983-84: Texas, part-time assistant coach 1984-86: Texas, assistant coach 1986-94: Alabama, assistant coach 1994-95: Alabama, associate head coach 1995-99: Georgia Southern, head coach 1999-2004: New Jersey Nets, scout 2004-08: New Jersey Nets, director of scouting 2008-18: Brooklyn Nets, director of player personnel 2018-20: Detroit Pistons, director of player personnel 2020-21: Detroit Pistons, senior director of player personnel 2021-22: Tennessee, volunteer analyst 2022-Present: Tennessee, assistant coach In March 2022, University of Tennessee head men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes promoted Gregg Polinsky to an assistant coach role after he served one year as a volunteer analyst. The 2026-27 season will be Polinsky’s sixth with the Volunteers, including his five as an assistant coach. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Polinsky was a Division I head coach at Georgia Southern University from 1995-99 before transitioning to a successful 22-year scouting and front office career in the NBA. He has 45 years of experience working at the college or NBA level, including 21 in Division I. “GP added so much to our program this season,” Barnes said upon announ

Justin Caldwell joined head coach Rick Barnes' men's basketball staff at the University of Tennessee as the player development coordinator on Sept. 20, 2024. A veteran coach, Caldwell owns 14 years of experience across the Division I, Division II, high school and youth levels, including five as a collegiate head coach. Before coming to Knoxville, Tenn., he spent the 2023-24 campaign as an assistant at Marshall University. During his first year at Tennessee, the program had one of its finest campaigns ever. The Volunteers went 30-8 (12-6 SEC), made the Elite Eight and tied for the best finish in program history at fifth in the polls. Last season, in 2025-26, Caldwell helped Tennessee register another superb campaign, with the team going 25-12 (11-7 SEC) and advancing back to the Elite Eight. Caldwell spent 2018-23 as the head coach at his alma mater, Glenville State University, turning the program into a 17-13 team during his final campaign in 2022-23. Before his first head coaching opportunity, Caldwell worked for two years at Pennsylvania Western University California. He played three seasons at West Virginia Wesleyan College and one at Glenville State, totaling 1,997 points in his career. After college, Caldwell played for the BBC Bascharage Hedgehogs in Luxembourg for two seasons.

(2015-19) Lucas Campbell has held three different vital roles since returning to the University of Tennessee in June 2022 to serve his alma mater on Rick Barnes’ men’s basketball staff. He is currently the program’s director of player personnel/recruiting coordinator. For the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, Campbell worked as the director of recruiting. He was an assistant coach, while retaining all his recruiting responsibilities in 2024-25, before moving into his new position with an expanded personnel emphasis in May 2025. Campbell coordinates all aspects of the program’s recruiting efforts. He oversees all logistical elements of on-campus visits, organizes recruiting travel for the Tennessee coaching staff and more. "Over nearly a decade, I have seen Lucas grow from an eager walk-on freshman my first season here at Tennessee into now a rising star in the coaching profession." Barnes said "This school and this basketball program mean so much to Lucas. He has been a key part of our staff over the past [few] years and has played a major role in our strong recruiting efforts." Campbell is a Tennessee alumnus who competed for the Volunteers during Barnes’ first four years on Rocky Top, 2015-19. He has been a part of the Tennessee program for all but one of Barnes’ seasons at the helm. This is Campbell’s second stint on staff at Tennessee, as he served as a graduate assistant from 2019-21, following the conclusion of his playing career. During those two seasons, he spent hours in

Director of video and analytics Luke Schapker enters his ninth year with the Tennessee basketball program in 2026-27 after first joining the program as a graduate assistant in 2018. Schapker, in his current role, creates analytical projects, constructs analytical scouting reports, oversees video breakdowns and more. In the eight seasons Schapker has worked on Rick Barnes' staff, Tennessee owns a 200-77 (.722) record and is one of just nine schools with at least 200 wins in that span. The Volunteers have played in all seven NCAA Tournaments over that stretch, notching five Sweet 16 bids and three Elite Eight trips. Additionally, Tennessee has finished a program-best fifth in the AP Poll three times during Schapker's tenure (2022, 2024 and 2025). He has worked with 10 NBA Draft picks in Knoxville, Tenn., including four first-rounders, as well as four All-Americans. Schapker was a graduate assistant at Tennessee from 2018-20, a volunteer analyst in 2020-21 and the video coordinator in 2021-22. He earned his current title, director of video and analytics, in 2022. Prior to his arrival on Rocky Top, the Evansville, Ind., native spent four years as a men's basketball student manager at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Schapker was the head manager during the final three years of his four-year tenure with the Bowling Green program. He helped to coordinate managerial coverage of team and individual workouts, assisted with operations tasks and assisted the coaching staff prepar

Empty heading THE EGGERT FILE Personal Information Full Name: Mary-Carter Eggert Born: July 19, 1988, in Richmond, Va. Hometown: Richmond, Va. High School: Mills E. Godwin College: Tennessee, 2011 Husband: Chris College Administrative Experience 2007-11: Tennessee, student assistant (media relations) 2011-12: Tennessee, graduate assistant (media relations) 2012-15: Tennessee, assistant media relations director 2015-Present: Tennessee, director of basketball operations Mary-Carter Eggert is in her 12th year as Tennessee’s director of basketball operations in 2026-27. It is the two-time Tennessee graduate’s 16th year as a post-graduate or full-time employee at her alma mater. One of very few women holding the role of director of basketball operations with a men’s program at a major-conference school, Eggert oversees all logistical aspects of the program’s day-to-day operations, including budget, travel and meals. She also manages head coach Rick Barnes’ calendar. “MC is really the mastermind behind it all,” VFL Josiah-Jordan James said. “She’s our coach off the court. She plays a big role in all of the players’ lives by checking on us daily, making sure we have everything we need, and she always keeps our spirits up. She brightens every room she’s in, and Tennessee basketball wouldn’t be as great as it is without her.” With Eggert on staff, the Volunteers have won three SEC championships and earned eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Tennessee has reached the Sweet 16 o

University of Tennessee head men's basketball coach Rick Barnes announced June 2, 2025, the hiring of Scott Daughtry as the program's director of strategy. Daughtry was a part of the Tennessee basketball program as a student, both as an undergraduate and while in graduate school, for four years before stepping into the newly created position. Daughtry first joined the Volunteers as an undergraduate manager in April 2021. He was promoted to head manager in April 2022 and served in that role through December 2023, at which time he earned his degree and stayed on in Knoxville, Tenn., as a graduate assistant. As a graduate assistant for 17-plus months, Daughtry spearheaded the further development of the program's analytical structure by handling its database. He created and managed the team's analytics sites and web apps, as well as produced basketball performance analytics reports for the use of the coaching staff. In his new role, Daughtry has numerous duties related to roster management. He continues to develop statistical models to predict player success and value, as well as monitor databases, deliver recruiting information to the coaching staff and organize qualitative evaluations. Daughtry also generates performance analytics, player development analysis and analytical game strategy evaluations for the current team. Daughtry served as a basketball analytics intern for the Indiana Pacers during the summer of 2023, assisting with responsibilities related to the NBA Draft, fr

Empty heading THE McCLAIN FILE Personal Information Full Name: Steven James McClain Born: Aug. 15, 1962, in Greenfield, Iowa Hometown: Orient, Iowa High School: Orient-Macksburg College: Chadron State (Neb.), 1984 Wife: Kim Son: Dylan Coaching Experience 1982-84: Chadron State, student assistant coach 1984-85: Sioux Empire Junior College, assistant coach 1985-86: Independence Community College, assistant coach 1986-91: Hutchinson Community College, assistant coach 1991-94: Hutchinson Community College, head coach 1994-98: TCU, assistant coach 1998-2007: Wyoming, head coach 2007-08: Colorado, assistant coach 2008-10: Colorado, associate head coach 2010-12: Indiana, assistant coach 2012-15: Indiana, associate head coach 2015-20: UIC, head coach 2020-22: Georgia, assistant coach 2022-23: Texas, special assistant to the head coach 2023-25: Texas, assistant coach 2025-Present: Tennessee, assistant coach University of Tennessee head men's basketball coach Rick Barnes announced May 13, 2025, the hiring of Steve McClain as an assistant coach. McClain brings 43 years of college coaching experience to Rocky Top, including 31 at the Division I level, 13 with Power Five programs. He has been a head coach for 17 years, including 14 with Division I teams. “Steve is a veteran coach who has accomplished so much over four-plus decades. It was an easy decision to seize the chance to hire him here at Tennessee and we’re happy to have him,” Barnes said upon announcing the hire. “His experience,