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Rick BarnesRICK BARNES | HEAD COACH

Tennessee’s fortunes on the hardwood have never looked brighter, as Rick Barnes, the most decorated and accomplished head coach in school history, has led the Volunteers to new heights in his 10 seasons on Rocky Top. The 2025-26 campaign is his 11th at Tennessee and his 39th as a head coach.

During the Barnes era, Tennessee has made seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2018-25), won at least 25 games six times and earned a top-four NCAA Tournament seed on six occasions. It has made four Sweet 16 appearances and two Elite Eight trips. The Volunteers have spent 134 weeks in the Associated Press Top 25 under Barnes, including 76 in the top 10, 38 in the top five—the program had 17 total top-five nods before his arrival—and nine atop the national poll.

Since the start of the 2017-18 season, Tennessee leads all SEC programs in postseason victories (23), plus sits a narrow second in overall winning percentage (.731) and overall victories (201), with the latter mark seventh-best at the Division I level. The Volunteers are also first in the league in victories (98) and winning percentage (.685) in league play. During that time, the Volunteers have three SEC titles, winning the regular season in 2017-18 and 2023-24, along with the SEC Tournament in 2022, the latter the program’s first such crown in 43 years. Over just the last four seasons, 2021-25, Tennessee is eighth nationally and atop the SEC with 109 victories, the best four-year total in program history.

Justin GaineyJUSTIN GAINEY | ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH

Justin Gainey is in his fifth year on the University of Tennessee men’s basketball staff in 2025-26, including his third as associate head coach.

One of head coach Rick Barnes’ most critical recruiting wins following the 2020-21 season was securing the services of Gainey, a proven veteran with previous coaching experience in the ACC, BIG EAST, Pac-12 and beyond.

Through the 2024-25 campaign, Gainey boasts 19 years of Division I coaching and administrative experience, with 13 of them at the Power Six level.

Gregg PolinskyGREGG POLINSKY | 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 2025-26 season will be Polinsky’s fifth with the Volunteers, including his fourth 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 44 years of experience working at the college or NBA level, including 20 years in Division I.

“GP added so much to our program this season,” Barnes said upon announcing Polinsky’s promotion. “Elevating him into this role was an easy decision after observing the way he’s impacted our players and staff. His knowledge of the game is so extensive and he’s spent a large chunk of his career in the NBA, which is the goal destination for most of today’s players. He understands what it takes to make it there—and, more importantly—have longevity there. GP is a world-class talent evaluator and an outstanding relationship builder. He fits the culture of our program perfectly.”

Amorrow MorganAMORROW MORGAN | 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 brings 12 years of collegiate coaching experience with him to Tennessee, including eight at the Division I level. He worked at Cal for the last two seasons.

“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.”

Bryan LentzBRYAN LENTZ | 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 seasons at Tennessee and previously at Texas, and I know he will help our program continue its upward trajectory in his new role."

Steve McClainSTEVE MCCLAIN |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, coaching acumen and care for his players will be invaluable. I am confident Steve will give his all for Tennessee on a daily basis and that our program will benefit from his passion.”

Garret MedenwaldGARRETT MEDENWALD | director of MEN'S BASKETBALL SPORTS PERFORMANCE

Garrett Medenwald (MAY-dihn-wald) is in his 11th year as Tennessee’s director of men’s basketball sports performance in 2025-26.

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).

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