LOS ANGELES (October 8, 2008) – University of Texas Basketball Coach Rick Barnes will be given the John R. Wooden Award’s “Legends of Coaching” honor this year, the Award’s chairman, Duke Llewellyn, announced today.

Barnes will be honored along with the 2009 Men’s and Women’s Wooden Award winners and the Wooden Award All-American teams at the Los Angeles Athletic Club in April of 2009. The “Legends of Coaching” Award was adopted by the Wooden Award Committee in 1999, with the first honor going to Dean Smith of North Carolina.

Barnes has guided Texas to NCAA Tournament appearances in each of his 10 years at the helm of the Longhorn program. In a career that includes four years at Clemson, six years at Providence and one season at George Mason, Barnes boasts an impressive 449-227 (.664) career record in 21 seasons as a collegiate head coach.

He is tied for third on the current consecutive NCAA tournament appearance list at 13, behind former Wooden Legends honorees Lute Olson and Roy Williams. Texas has produced 10 NBA picks under Barnes, including 2008 Wooden Award All-American D.J. Augustin, 2007 Wooden Award winner Kevin Durant and 2003 Wooden Award winner T.J. Ford. Texas is the only school in the nation with two Wooden Award winners in the last six years. With five Sweet 16 appearances in the last seven seasons and Big 12 titles in 2006 and 2008, Barnes has put the UT program among the nation’s elite.