NEW ORLEANS -- Texas coach Rick Barnes didn't want to cut down the South Regional nets in San Antonio. His assistant coaches and players, however, wouldn't let him remain in the background.

It was as much his time to shine as it was the players, even if Barnes wanted no part of the spotlight.

"We had to push him out there,'' Texas assistant coach Frank Haith said. "He didn't want to do it. That stuff is hard for him. He's not that kind of guy. He's all about the players."

	Getting T.J. Ford to stay in Texas was the first step in getting the Longhorns to the Final Four.

Barnes is far from shy. He's as outgoing a coach as there is in Division I basketball. He loves practical jokes, even does some magic tricks when he goes on recruiting visits. And he loves to throw zingers at members of the media to keep them off guard.

But the timing has to be right. He won't do halftime interviews during the regular season, not as a slight to the media, but rather he doesn't feel comfortable having the attention focused on him during a game. Barnes may be a reason for Texas' success, but not the reason the Longhorns are in the Final Four.

To him, the game is about the players. Always has been, always will be as long as he's in charge.

"That's who he is," Haith said. "He truly believe it's about the players."

"I don't want to talk about me," Barnes said. "The best part of getting to the Final Four is watching the players enjoy it. I love the look on their faces."

A moment that said it all was T.J. Ford's first reaction to Texas reaching the Final Four. When the Longhorns beat Michigan State, the sophomore point guard's first instinct was to run over to his coach and embrace the moment with Barnes. And Ford wouldn't let go, holding onto Barnes even as Michigan State coach Tom Izzo approached for a postgame handshake.

"There was strong heartfelt emotion," Barnes said. "But Tom was great about it and he even said something to T.J. He wasn't upset. He was classy about it and knew how emotional this was."

The Texas players have clearly responded to Barnes' approach. But they aren't alone. Watching Sunday's game in San Antonio were 30,000 Longhorn fans, unheard of for men's basketball.

"That's the most people who have ever watched Texas play live," Barnes said. "It was an incredible weekend down there to see all that burnt orange. It was great to have all the people see our success."

Barnes has certainly welcomed the attention his team has garnered. April is usually a time for Austin fans to hype its football team's national title hopes, not stand two wins from its first national championship on the hardwood.

But, again, the focus can't be on Barnes. It must remain on Ford and his running mates.

Maybe that's why of the four coaches still worrying about Xs and Os here in the Big Easy, most fans -- even Texas natives -- know know Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim and even Tom Crean as much, if not more, than Barnes.

And that's just fine with Barnes.

"The guy I'd like to be most like is Tom Izzo," Barnes said. "He never talks about himself. I don't talk about Rick Barnes. I love saying, 'A proud peacock today, a feather duster tomorrow.' I don't take myself too seriously. The bottom line is I'm as good as my players. For that reason, they'll be out there."

As much as Barnes likes to downplay his effect on the Longhorns, Texas steadily grew into a top 10 team over the past four years. Last year, he got Texas to its first Sweet 16 since 1997 and this year broke a 56-year Final Four drought in Year Five.

And, while Barnes won't say as much, he did set all this success into motion with his ability to convince the best player in the country to stay in Texas two years ago.

It's safe to say without Ford, the Longhorns wouldn't be in the Final Four. As Barnes says, Texas is home to some of the most talented high school players in the country. But keeping Texas natives within its borders has been another matter. Schools from around the country continuously raid the state on an annual basis.

But there is enough talent to go around. That's why even though Daniel Horton is at Michigan, Bracey Wright is in Indiana, Dee Brown went to Illinois, Chris Bosh starred at Georgia Tech, and Emeka Okafor is a force for Connecticut, the Longhorns are in the Big Easy with their own share of local talent.

Ford, who is from Houston, is one of three McDonald's All-Americans from Texas on the Longhorns' roster. Brad Buckman (Austin) and Brian Boddicker (Duncanville) are the other two, while Jason Klotz (Houston) and the only contributing senior, Deginald Erskin (Gonzales) are also Texas natives.

Clearly, the core of the Final Four team is from the state, which hadn't always been the case before Barnes arrived in 1998.

Barnes, the soft-spoken former player from Lenoir-Rhyne, N.C., is certainly at home in Austin. Sure, he had three-year stints as the head coach at Providence and Clemson before arriving at Texas, but this job suits him best.

He has the all talent he could want in his backyard and a program that can recruit outside its borders as well. He's in a conference that mirrors his personality. The Big 12 is tough, but doesn't get the face time it deserves in the major media markets. And, for some of the schools (Texas included), they don't crave it, or care to push to be recognized.

"I don't know when people will realize that Texas is one of the best coaching jobs in the country," Barnes said. "I have no desire to leave Texas.

"We've got a program that's as good as anybody's."

Barnes is right and proving it this season. But, the Texas job has changed since Barnes arrived, and to some extent, it's because of his own success.

Winning in the Big 12 is going to do more for the school nationally than it would have in the old Southwest Conference, where access to the NCAA Tournament wasn't as easy. The ability, not to mention necessity, to recruit in Texas first, and then outside the state second, will keep Texas in the national spotlight even after Final Four ends and Ford leaves (this spring, or next). And building a big-time practice facility, witch will be ready for next season, will elevate the program even higher.

"My whole philosophy is for the place to be better when I leave," Barnes said. "I feel good about where we are and where we're going."

Two more wins and Texas will be somewhere it's never been ... in no small part, because of Barnes.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.