Rick Barnes Shuts Down Tre Johnson, Kevin Durant Comparisons

AUSTIN -- Rick Barnes didn't exactly experience any Kevin Durant-like flashbacks when watching true freshman Tre Johnson carve up his elite defense.

The winningest coach in Texas Longhorns men's basketball history, Barnes returned to Austin once again Saturday and led the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers to a 74-70 win over his former team for the third straight season. Despite the highly-publicized comparisons between Johnson and Durant, who Barnes coached during the 2006-07 season, the 70-year-old was quick to put the narrative to rest when Texas Longhorns on SI asked him about it after the game.

"I have great, great, great respect for Tre, but you can't compare players. You can't," Barnes said when asked by Texas Longhorns on SI. "It's not fair to (Johnson). I mean, one guy's got a 7-6 wingspan. You can't compare him. ... I mean, you're talking 6-11, 7-foot guys to a guy like that."

Texas Longhorns guard Tre Johnson (20) celebrates a score during the game against Tennessee at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. | Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Johnson finished with a game-high 26 points on 11 of 17 shooting anf 4 of 8 from deep. He out-played Tennessee's top scorer Chaz Lanier, who was held well below his usually-elite standards with just 10 points.

Despite shutting down the KD comparisons, Barnes had some high praise for Johnson.

"He is a terrific shot maker for a young guy," Barnes said. "I tell you, what I do like about him was his mindset. KD didn't flinch. I don't, didn't think (Tre) did. That's the one thing I would say I was impressed with him. I knew he had the ability to make a lot of difficult shots over top of you, which he does, but he'll carve his own niche out. ... But just great respect for Tre and great respect for what Rodney (Terry) does to get him in position where he can be effective at what he does."

The Longhorns and Volunteers won't play each other again during the regular season but could potentially meet up in the SEC Tournament. Time will tell if Johnson and Texas can crawl out of their 0-3 conference hole before then.

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