Will Rick Barnes regret turning down UCLA to stay at Tennessee?

Rick Barnes had a chance to coach at storied UCLA, but he decided that he loves Knoxville a lot more, and turned the Bruins down to stay in Tennessee.

Hollywood came calling for Rick Barnes, but it wasn’t enough to lure him away from Knoxville.

According to Chris Low of ESPN and Rob Lewis of Volquest.com, the Tennessee head coach is staying put, with a new deal after UCLA offered him a contract that would have paid him $5 million per year. It’s not clear what Tennessee countered to keep Barnes in Knoxville, but this is a huge win for the Vols and it’s worth whatever the cost.

Why would Barnes want to leave a program that was No. 1 in the country for several weeks this year and a program he’s got on the right track for a program that hasn’t had much in the way of success of late?

One can argue it’s easier to get the best recruits when you’re at UCLA and you can raid the top talent in California and the west coast. Still, Barnes proved he can win at Tennessee and he’s playing in a better league in the SEC than what the Pac-12 provides.

In the end, however, the lure of big money, beaches, and Hollywood was not enough for Barnes to leave behind a Vols program that has finally regained its footing. Plus, the pressure of being the UCLA basketball coach where the average span is shorter than most students and it’s easy to see why Barnes would elect to take the raise at Tennessee than leave for the once-proud program.

This is the right move for Barnes, who shouldn’t have any regrets about turning down the blue blood program. However, UCLA should have several about how their coaching search has played out as this rejection is another blow for UCLA who has to turn to another candidate to lead the program.