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'It's one of the greatest gifts ever': Rick Barnes shares his fatherly advice for Justin Caldwell

IMG_3593by: Grant Ramey01/24/25GrantRamey
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(Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports)

The fatherly advice Rick Barnes had for Justin Caldwell didn’t start this week. Tennessee Basketball’s first-year player development coordinator and husband of Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell started hearing it from Barnes long ago. 

“I’ve been doing that for about three months,” Barnes said Friday morning before practice at Food City Center.

Justin Caldwell just started putting the advice to use this week. Tennessee on Thursday night announced the birth of the Caldwells’ first child, Conor Scott Caldwell. 

Kim Caldwell was not at Texas with the Lady Vols for Thursday night’s game. Barnes said Justin Caldwell returned to work with “a beam on his face.”

Lady Vols announced the birth of Conor Scott Caldwell on Thursday

“I’m really excited for both of them,” Barnes said. “He was excited. He came back yesterday and he tried to tell me, ‘You guys didn’t tell me all of it.’ And I said, ‘We did. You just didn’t listen.’ 

“I really am excited for both of them. And so every day now I’m going to get some kind of details that I can eventually use against Coach (Kim) Caldwell.”

The Caldwells now share a similar story with Barnes regarding the birth of their first children. Barnes said Friday that his first child, daughter Carley, arrived the day of his first conference game as a head coach.

That was January 9, 1988, when George Mason won a home game against East Carolina, 77-63.

“And I can remember going to the game,” Barnes said, “but so excited to get back (home). And I can remember sitting there holding her for two and a half hours, from midnight until two in the morning, until she had to go back to her mom to feed. 

“And I can just remember the glow on her face and I didn’t want to let her go. And I’m sure (Justin) feels like that right now too.” 

‘It’s one of the greatest gifts ever when God blesses you with a child’

Barnes earlier this season asked Kim Caldwell how she could plan to have a baby in the middle of January, then remembered his own story. 

“But I didn’t have to deliver it,” Barnes said, “thank goodness.”

He’s just thankful both his kids — Carley and his son, Nick — changed his life when they did arrive.

“It’s one of the greatest gifts ever when God blesses you with a child,” Barnes said. “And now being a grandfather, I can tell you being a grandparent is not overrated. It’s unbelievable.”

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