Rick Barnes thought he would return

Fired Texas Longhorns coach Rick Barnes says the athletic director told him a week ago that he would return for another season, but "some things changed."

At a farewell news conference Sunday, Barnes insisted he is not bitter about the dismissal. But he said he was "shocked" by what he said were athletic department leaks to the media in recent days that he was being pressured to fire his assistant coaches to save his own job.

Barnes said several staff members offered to quit but he refused. He said he didn't want to give up control over his staff.

Athletic director Steve Patterson did not attend the news conference. The school said in a statement that the two sides parted by mutual consent. Barnes said he told Patterson he wanted to stay.

"The University owes Rick a great deal of gratitude and respect for all he's done to put Texas on the basketball map," Texas athletic director Steve Patterson said in a statement. "He elevated our program immensely and always did it with class. He put our student-athletes first. He won with integrity. We thank Rick for his many years of service to Texas and wish him continued success in the future."

Texas said it will begin a national search for Barnes' replacement immediately.

Two coaches interested in the Texas opening and who will be in the mix to replace Barnes are Wichita State's Gregg Marshall and VCU's Shaka Smart, according to sources.

One source told ESPN that Patterson also could go for an outside-the-box hire with NBA ties. Patterson has NBA connections as a former executive with the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers.

Barnes, 60, went 402-180 during his tenure in Austin. He won three Big 12 regular-season championships and reached the NCAA tournament in each of his first 14 seasons there. Under his direction, Texas reached the Final Four in 2003 and made two other Elite Eight appearances. The Longhorns were ranked No. 1 in the country for the first time in school history during the 2009-10 season.

National players of the year T.J. Ford and Kevin Durant were coached by Barnes at Texas, as was four-time NBA All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge.

Durant paid tribute to his former coach in a tweet Sunday.

Barnes was thought to be on the hot seat heading into the 2013-14 season, but a 24-11 record and NCAA tournament appearance won him an extension. With several key players returning and the addition of five-star center Myles Turner, Texas was picked by some to win the Big 12 this season and was ranked No. 10 in the preseason Associated Press poll.

However, the Longhorns backed their way into the NCAA tournament before getting bounced in the round of 64. They finished 20-14 overall and 8-10 in the Big 12 -- tied for sixth in the league standings.

Before taking over at Texas in 1998, Barnes was the head coach at Clemson for four seasons. He went to the NCAA tournament in his final three seasons with the Tigers, reaching the Sweet 16 in 1997. Barnes previously was the head coach at Providence (six seasons) and George Mason (one season).

He also spent time as an assistant coach at Ohio State, Alabama, George Mason and Davidson.

Barnes had received a two-year contract extension after last season that ran through the 2018-19 season.He is due a severance payment of $1.75 million.

ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman and Jeff Borzello and The Associated Press contributed to this report.