Dick Vitale and Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes shared a heartfelt phone call on Thursday that reached far beyond the court.
It started as a business call about basketball.
Vitale, the iconic broadcaster, will work the game between No. 5 Tennessee (23-5, 10-5 SEC) and No. 6 Alabama (23-5, 12-3 SEC) on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Food City Center.
But the call quickly turned personal when Vitale’s cancer fight inevitably entered the conversation.
“He got emotional on the phone,” Barnes said. “I love him to death, like everybody, because of his passion and his transparency is real. He doesn’t want to stop, and I admire that.
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“But (Vitale) loves basketball. And he would tell you that God has blessed us both in being a part of this game.”
Rick Barnes on Dick Vitale: ‘I know he’s grateful’
Vitale, 85, has battled four cancers in four years. This will be his fourth game this season since returning to his courtside role.
Barnes has been by side all along the way. Their friendship dates back to the late 1980s. That’s when Vitale made an appearance at Midnight Madness at Providence College, where Barnes was a promising 30-something-year-old head coach.
They grew even closer during Vitale’s struggles with cancer.
Vitale has been diagnosed with melanoma, lymphoma, vocal cord cancer and lymph node cancer in the past few years. He has undergone five vocal cord surgeries in the past two years and has been on voice rest the last few days to prepare for the Alabama-Tennessee game.
“I know he’s grateful,” Barnes said on Friday. “He feels he’s been extremely blessed. And obviously we’ve talked about our faith with each other. He knows there have been a lot of people who have prayed for him through the years.”
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Vitale shared in January 2022 that Barnes texted him prayers daily during his battle with cancer. It included Bible references and prayers for wisdom, strength and gratitude.
During their phone call on Thursday, Vitale wanted to know about UT’s players, its plan of attack against a high-scoring Alabama team and Barnes’ perspective on one of his best teams.
Barnes said he was struck by how dedicated Vitale was to preparing for the game while trying to summon the physical strength to do the job.
“He has a deep passion and love for doing this,” Barne said. “I don’t think it’s as easy as people think it is for him. But that’s because he has such a love for the game, and he still has a great passion to be out among people.”
How will Tennessee fans react to Dick Vitale’s return?
Vitale’s voice doesn’t reach the rafters like it did before his cancer diagnosis. But his unmatched enthusiasm still rings true on the mic.
“I’m sure our student body will be excited that he’s in the building,” Barnes said. “It’s always been that way. And I admire the fact that he’s still putting forth the effort into doing it.”
Vitale’s most recent game at Tennessee was on Jan. 28, 2023, when the No. 4 Vols beat No. 10 Texas 82-71.
“(It) has made sitting at courtside for games such as Alabama-Tennessee the best medicine I can receive,” Vitale wrote in a text message to Knox News on Monday.
“To be part of games like Saturday is so special to me as many dark moments made (me) think at times that will not happen. Yes every game I do makes me feel I am winning the national championship. … Can’t wait baby for this to tip off.”
This season the hall of famer has worked three previous games.
Vitale called Clemson’s 77-71 win against Duke on Feb. 8. He was originally tabbed to return for a Jan. 25 matchup between Duke and Wake Forest, but did not after an accident at home. He called Duke’s 106-70 win against Stanford on Feb. 15 and Alabama’s 96-83 win against Kentucky on Feb. 22.
In his text message to Knox News, Vitale said he continues to “THINK POSITIVE AND HAVE FAITH.”
Barnes felt that optimism during their phone call, and none of it surprised him.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email[email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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