Rick Barnes addresses his age in coaching college basketball

As Tennessee gears up for a Sweet Sixteen showdown with Florida Atlantic, coach Rick Barnes stands as one of the oldest coaches left still coaching college basketball. And not just because his team is one of the few left standing.

At 68 years old, Barnes has a few laps on most of the field. But when will he opt to hang it up?

“I don’t think you can put age on it,” Barnes said. “I think it gets back to individual personalities and where they are at that point in time in their career and their life in terms of what they see themselves doing.”

Barnes has his Tennessee team humming right along, one of the remaining favorites to reach the Final Four. He has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last five eligible seasons at Tennessee.

It’s like clockwork, Tennessee fields a basketball team and you can count on a gritty defensive bunch that plays physical hoops.

The Volunteers are a product of the identity Barnes has carefully crafted and honed over more than 40 years coaching college basketball. So when will Rick Barnes’ age cause him to think about turning in the whistle?

“That’s a great question. You know, I think we all know when we’ve had enough,” Barnes said. “Like people ask me oftentimes what goes through your mind? And I think if I ever got to the point where I didn’t look forward to going to practice — and I have great respect for Jim Boeheim, and I got to spend some time with him this summer. And he — when I was with him, I thought if he wanted to, he could coach five more years because he’s out recruiting, he’s doing what we have to do at certain times of the year.

“I think it gets back to individual personalities and how you feel and where you think you are with it. I’m not surprised about coach (Rick) Pitino. He loves coaching basketball. I think guys that stay in it for a long time, I think it’s a love of the game. I think they enjoy it.”

There’s one thing Barnes seems to be very cautious about. The ones who left and regretted it.

“I would say this: A lot of coaches that I know that quit early made the comment they wish they would have stayed with it,” he said. “I think at one time there is — there is a shelf life for everybody, but I think people thought when you got to your mid 60s it was time to be finished. And like I said, some people that did do that, they’ve said they wished they would have kept going.”

Why give it up when Rick Barnes is still doing it at such a high level and enjoying all the ups and downs of it with his players?

As long as there are Santiago Vescovis and Zakai Zeiglers ready to run Barnes’ system, Tennessee’s a pretty good bet to ride deep into the postseason. And Barnes is a pretty good bet to keep on coaching ’em up.

“I’ve said often, the best job in America is when you can get up every day with young people who have great dreams and you want to help them work towards those goals and they’re willing to buy into the things that you need to do that you can help them with,” he said.