John Barnes came to Youngstown State with a long history of winning, and he has given a proud fan base a reason to celebrate like it hasn’t in two decades. Barnes, the 2021-22 Horizon League Coach of the Year, has shown since the day he arrived on campus that he has the ability and energy to build YSU’s women’s basketball program into a perennial contender. The contenders grew into champions in Barnes’ ninth season in 2021-22 as the Penguins won their first regular-season conference title in 23 years.
Barnes’ squads have been extremely successful both on and off the court at Youngstown State. In addition to sharing the Horizon League crown in 2021-22, YSU has earned a postseason berth in five of his 10 seasons and won at least 19 games five times. At the same time, the Penguins have appeared on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll nine times in his first 10 seasons. In fact, the Penguins have had one of the top 10 grade-point averages in five of the last seven seasons, and they held the second-best mark in the nation in both 2019-20 (3.782) and 2020-21 (3.874).
Barnes, a tireless recruiter and a detail-oriented teacher, owns a record of 170-130 record through 10 seasons at Youngstown State. He has the second-most wins in program history, and his .567 winning percentage is the third-best mark in program history. Barnes' record against Horizon League opponents is 103-77, which is an incredible mark considering the Penguins had a conference record of above .500 just once in the 12 years prior to his arrival. Through 17 seasons as a collegiate head coach, he is 326-185 (.638 winning percentage).
Outstanding shooting, consistent production in the post and sharing the basketball have been common themes to Barnes’ success. The Penguins made at least 200 3-pointers in each of his first seven seasons, a streak that stopped only because COVID-19 shortened the 2020-21 schedule, and nine times in his 10 campaigns. Youngstown State has led the Horizon League in 3-pointers per game eight times in his 10 seasons, and it has ranked in the top 20 nationally in free-throw percentage four times in his tenure.
That shooting success has been matched inside as YSU has had a forward earn all-league honors in eight of 10 seasons. Three post players have eclipsed 1,000 career points at YSU with Barnes at the helm of the program, and six players overall have reached the milestone. That comes from sharing the ball among teammates, and YSU’s point guard has led the Horizon League in assists in six of the last eight years.
Year 10: Another Top-Four Finish and 13 Horizon League Wins
The Penguins entered Barnes' 10th season with high expectations, and they posted 19 wins overall and 13 Horizon League victories in 2022-23. It was the fifth time in Barnes' tenure that YSU won at least 19 games, and Youngstown State won at least 13 Horizon League contests for the third time in the last five seasons. Before 2017-18, the school record for Horizon League wins was 11.
Seniors Lilly Ritz and Megan Callahan, who were upperclass transfers prior to the 2021-22 campaign, both finished their careers by earning All-Horizon League accolades. Ritz was tabbed the Horizon League's Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Penguin to be named Defensive Player of the Year in any conference. Ritz repeated as a selection on the All-Horizon League First Team and the All-Defensive Team. She joined Heidi Schlegel (2013-14 and 2014-15) as the only two YSU student-athletes to be a two-time first-team pick since the Penguins joined the Horizon League in 2001-02. Ritz is also the only Penguin to be a two-time All-Defensive Team honoree regardless of conference. Callahan, a sixth-year senior and a team captain in both of her seasons at Youngstown State, was an all-conference pick for the first time in her career. She spent her first four seasons at Robert Morris before transferring to YSU prior to 2021-22.
Ritz's selection made it nine times in 10 seasons under head coach John Barnes that a Penguin post was a first, second, or third-team All-Horizon League selection. Those 10 selections have come in eight different campaigns.
As a team, YSU led the Horizon League with 16.17 assists per game in 2022-23. That was 0.79 more than second-place Green Bay and three assists more than the league average. The 16.17 assists per game were the most by a Penguins team since 2001-02. Youngstown State ranked 28th in the country in assists per game, and it had an assist on 65.8% of its field goals. That was one of the top 20 percentages in the nation. Dena Jarrells, a transfer arriving prior to the season, led the Penguins and ranked third in the conference with 3.90 assists per game.
For the 12th time in the last 13 seasons, Youngstown State made at least 200 3-pointers in a season. The Penguins finished with 235 goals from beyond the arc, which was the ninth-highest total in program history. YSU averaged 7.83 3-pointers per game, which ranked third in the Horizon League. Callahan ranked fifth individually, and Malia Magestro was seventh.
Year Nine: Orchestrating a Championship Season
After an offseason where the transfer portal created the uncertain reality of having nine newcomers on the roster, Barnes’ Penguins bonded together and played with an edge when they were picked seventh in the Horizon League preseason poll to capture the program's first regular-season conference title in 23 years in 2021-22.
Chelsea Olson provided the foundation when she chose to return to Youngstown State for her fifth season of eligibility, and an influx of transfers provided a chance to reshape the players around her. Ritz arrived from the Division II level and took the Horizon League by storm in earning All-League First-Team and All-Defensive Team accolades. Division I transfers Callahan, Lindsey Linard, Lindsey Mack and Paige Shy all brought winning qualities both and off the court, and they blended with the returners to win 24 games, play in the Women’s NIT and earn championship rings. For his role, Barnes was voted the Horizon League Coach of the Year.
Youngstown State finished the season 24-7, winning at least 24 games for the third time in program history and for the first time since 1997-98. It was the program’s fourth 20-win season under Barnes and its fifth in the last 10 campaigns. After an 8-0 start, YSU followed a loss at Penn State with a seven-game winning streak from Dec. 17 through Jan. 14. YSU then had a five-game winning streak in February, giving the Penguins three separate winning streaks of at least five games for the second season in school history (also in 1996-97). YSU set a new school record for conference wins, regardless of conference with 18, and the Penguins also tied the Horizon League record for conference wins, matching IUPUI in 2021-22 and Green Bay in 2008-09 and 2010-11. At 9-0, YSU had its best start ever to conference play.
Barnes reached a personal milestone with his 300th career victory as the Penguins beat Robert Morris 61-44 on Jan. 12, 2022. The victory gave YSU a 17-2 overall record an an 11-1 mark in Horizon League play.
YSU’s success was fueled on the defensive end of the floor. The Penguins held opponents to 57.2 points per game for their best scoring defense since joining the Division I level in 1981-82. Further, YSU’s field-goal percentage defense was its best in 27 years. As a result, Ritz and Mady Aulbach were both voted to the Horizon League’s five-member All-Defensive Team.
Individually, Ritz ranked among the top three players in the Horizon League in scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage, double-doubles and steals in her first season. She averaged 16.9 points per game, which was the highest by a Penguin since 2014-15, and she made it six times in Barnes’ first nine seasons that a post was the team’s leading scorer. Olson cemented her legacy by setting YSU’s career records for minutes, games and starts, and she also finished her career ranking in the top 11 in program history in points, 3-pointers, free throws, rebounds, assists and blocks. She earned second-team all-conference accolades for her efforts.
Year Eight: Navigating Through Challenges for Winning Record
Despite two pauses due to the COVID-19 pandemic that delayed the start of the season by five weeks, Youngstown State was able to post a 10-8 overall record and won 10 of its final 15 games during the 2020-21 season.
The Penguins had their best field-goal percentage in 23 seasons at 44.6 percent, and they shot at least 47 percent in five straight contests during January. That was the longest stretch of games shooting at least 47 percent in at least 20 years. YSU also shot 34 percent from 3-point range, which was its best mark since 2014-15.
While YSU's streak of 200 made 3-pointers was stopped at 10 due to the limited number of games played, the Penguins still led the Horizon League in 3-pointers per game for the seventh straight season. Individually, McKenah Peters ranked third in the league with 2.11 3s per game, extending YSU's streak of having at least one player ranking in the top five in the conference in 3s per game to 10 years.
Olson added to her historic career by becoming the 23rd player in program history and the sixth under Barnes to eclipse 1,000 points. Olson also recorded her 600th rebound and 300th assist during the season, and she was the only player in the country to finish the season with career totals of at least 1,000 points, 660 rebounds and 375 assists. Olson was named to the All-Horizon League Third Team, making it four straight seasons where she was recognized by the conference's coaches.
While Olson was an all-league honoree at guard, Mary Dunn and Nneka Obiazor were both all-conference picks at forward. Dunn was a second-team pick after ranking second in the Horizon League in field-goal percentage (.516) and seventh in scoring (16.4). She finished her Penguins tenure ranking 12th in career points, fourth in field-goal percentage and 18th in rebounds, and she earned postseason accolades from the conference three times. Obiazor was voted the Horizon League Freshman of the Year after averaging 15.3 points and 8.1 rebounds, and she and Dunn became the first YSU duo to average 15 points apiece since 1996-97.
Year Seven: Newcomers Step Up To Show Future Potential
The Penguins faced the challenges of working in an inexperienced group and a plethora of injuries during the 2019-20 season, but they still won 13 games and showed potential for postseason berths in the future. Even with its top scorer out for all but the first four games of the season, Youngstown State jumped out to a 9-4 start that included an emotional win over eventual Horizon League regular season and tournament champion IUPUI.
Dunn became the 22nd player in program history – and the fifth coached by Barnes – to reach 1,000 career points in YSU’s win over Eastern Michigan on Nov. 16, but she injured her knee in the final moments and missed the remained of the season. Emma VanZanten’s foot injury in the next game left the Penguins with just one healthy player over 5-foot-10 for the next three months, but YSU rallied to win seven of its final eight games of 2019.
While the injuries severely affected YSU’s normal post-heavy style of offense, Olson and Maddie Schires had historic campaigns. Olson became the first Penguins guard in 20 years to be named first-team all-conference as the junior ranked eighth in the Horizon League in scoring and was among the top nine in eight different categories. Olson became just the fourth Penguin to lead the team in points and assists in the same season, and her versatility was on full display when she posted YSU’s first triple-double since 1986 when she had 13 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in the opener against Canisius. Schires set YSU’s freshman record by making 65 3-pointers, which was 10 more than the previous best total by a freshman. Only 10 freshmen in Division I made more 3-pointers than Schires in 2019-20, and she had the second-most 3s by a conference freshman over the last nine seasons
As a team, YSU maintained its reputation as one of the top-shooting teams in the region. The Penguins set the school record for free-throw percentage at 79.6 percent, topping the old record of 78.2 percent in 1984-85. The Penguins had the third-best mark in the country behind only William & Mary (81.5) and Fordham (79.7), and they led the Horizon League in free-throw percentage for the third time in Barnes' seven-year tenure. YSU also paced the conference in 3-pointers per game for the sixth straight season, and it eclipsed 200 3-pointers for the 10th straight campaign.
Year Six: Seniors Key Record-Setting Season
Youngstown State went into the 2018-19 season with many unknowns and just nine active players on its roster. The team had graduated a four-year starter and career assists leader at point guard, plus its all-time leader in career 3-pointers. But seniors Sarah Cash, Alison Smolinski and Melinda Trimmer didn’t let those challenges prevent them from carrying the Penguins to 22 wins overall, school-record totals of 13 Horizon League wins and 16 home victories, and an at-large berth to the Women’s NIT.
Trimmer hit a buzzer-beater to send the season opener into overtime, and YSU went on to beat Robert Morris 69-59. It was a big momentum builder, and it showed the Penguins were much-improved from the team that lost by 32 at RMU the year before. YSU went on to win its first four games, including an eye-opening 64-55 win at Pitt for the program’s first victory over a Power Five conference opponent in seven years.
YSU finished the non-conference slate with an 8-3 mark, and it went on to post its best Horizon League record in school history up to that point at 13-5. The Penguins beat every team in the conference at least once for the first time ever and finished in a tie for third in the league standings. They won each conference home game by at least 11 points, and YSU was victorious in its final 13 games at Beeghly Center.
Barnes earned his 250th win as a head coach when the Penguins beat IUPUI 70-52 at Beeghly Center on Jan. 5, 2019. He then won his 100th game at YSU on Feb. 10, 2019, as the Penguins topped UIC.
The Penguins advanced to the semifinals of the Horizon League tournament for the fourth time in Barnes’ tenure, and they held a lead with three minutes remaining before falling 55-53. YSU then traveled to Cincinnati for the opening round of the WNIT and was within a possession of the Bearcats in the fourth period before falling.
YSU led the Horizon League in field-goal percentage for the first time in program history at 42.2 percent, and the Penguins also held the top mark in free-throw percentage, assists per game, assist-to-turnover ratio and 3-pointers per game. It was the fifth straight year that YSU paced the conference in 3s, and the Penguins made at least 200 for the ninth straight year. Historically, YSU had its best assist-to-turnover ratio and scoring defense in 40 years.
YSU had a balanced offensive attack that made it hard for opponents to guard. Four Penguins averaged double figures in scoring for the first time in 16 years, and each of those four was named Horizon League Player of the Week during the season. Dunn was named First-Team All-Horizon League and the Sixth Player of the Year, and Cash and Olson were both second-team picks. Smolinski led the team in scoring and went on to be named to the Horizon League All-Tournament Team.
All three seniors set school records in their final campaigns. Smolinski ended her career holding every program record for 3-point volume. She made a record nine 3-pointers in a win at Canisius in December, and she later broke school records for 3s in a season with 109 and career (262). She added the Horizon League single-season 3-pointers record as well, and she broke the 1,000-point plateau. Cash finished her career as YSU’s all-time leader in career field-goal percentage and games played, and Trimmer broke the single-season record for assist-to-turnover ratio. Olson was one of just five players in the country – and the only underclassman – to average at least 10 points, seven rebounds and 4.5 assists.
In the classroom, YSU had a 3.75 team GPA at the end of the fall semester. That was the highest mark by any team in department history. Dunn was voted Google Cloud First-Team Academic All-District and Third-Team Academic All-American, and Cash and Trimmer were Second-Team Academic All-District picks. Dunn, Cash and Trimmer also earned Academic All-League recognition. YSU went on to seventh on the WBCA Academic Top 25 Honor Roll.
Year Five: Veterans Lead Team Back to Postseason
Youngstown State entered the 2017-18 season out to prove that playing in the postseason was the program’s standard, and it overcame early adversity to finish 16-16 and earn its second WBI bid in the last three seasons. The Penguins played their best down the stretch, posting their best February record in 20 years by going 7-1 in the month.
YSU won nine of its final 11 contests of the regular season to climb from seventh place in the Horizon League up to a three-way tie for fourth in the final standings. The Penguins set a school record for consecutive conference road victories by winning their final six Horizon League road contests of the season. The Penguins also advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the third time under Barnes. By the end of the season, YSU’s RPI had jumped 113 spots from Jan. 19, which was the second-best improvement in the country over that span.
A significant improvement on the defensive end of the floor was a big part of YSU winning seven more games than in 2016-17. The Penguins had the fourth-best improvement in the country in scoring defense from 2016-17 to 2017-18 as they held opponents to 64.3 points per contest. On the offensive end, YSU led the Horizon League in 3-pointers for the fourth straight season with 276.
Strong play from an experienced group of upperclassmen keyed the Penguins’ return to the postseason. Point guard Indiya Benjamin finished her history-making career by finishing as the program’s all-time leader in assists (629), minutes (3,964), games played (128) and games started (127). She was named Second-Team All-Horizon League and became just the second player to lead the league in assists in three straight seasons. Benjamin and Cash both surpassed 1,000 career points during the season, and Cash was the team’s top scorer and rebounder for the second time in three years. Nikki Arbanas returned after an ACL injury to make a team-high 65 3-pointers and break the program’s career mark with 209 in just three seasons. Dunn led the squad with a .547 field-goal percentage and was named Academic All-Horizon League.
The Penguins also got a huge boost from a talented group of freshmen in 2017-18. Olson was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team and was the first player in conference history to be named the league Freshman of the Week for four straight weeks. She averaged 10.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists against league opponents. McKenah Peters was the Horizon League Freshman of the Week in the final week of the regular season, and she had a strong end to the regular season by going 14-for-29 from 3-point range over the final seven games.
Year Four: Setting the Stage for Future Success
The 2016-17 season was riddled with injuries, beginning on the first day of practice when Arbanas, a starting guard and the team's top perimeter defender, tore her ACL. Another ACL injury to fifth-year senior guard Kelsea Newman came in the third quarter of the first game of the season, and all-conference forward Cash missed the final 23 games with ongoing knee pain. While YSU’s win total dropped to nine, a large group of underclassmen showed they can contribute as the Penguins return to full strength in 2017-18.
Youngstown State led the Horizon League in 3-pointers per game for the third straight year and made at least 200 for the seventh straight season in 2016-17. That was an impressive feat with Arbanas and Newman, who combined for 143 triples the previous year, out for the season. The Penguins’ solid guard play also led to the squad being ranked second in assist-to-turnover ratio and third in assists per game. On the national level, YSU ranked 14th in free-throw percentage and 15th in 3s per game.
Individually, Dunn (as a freshman) and Smolinski (as a sophomore) emerged as players who could take over a game offensively. Dunn was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Year, leading all conference freshmen with 11.3 points per game and a .514 field-goal percentage. It marked the eighth straight season that a YSU post earned Horizon League honors. Smolinski led the conference with 85 3-pointers overall and 61 in league play. She ranked 19th in the country in 3s per game, and she made more triples than any other player in the nation between Jan. 14 through the end of YSU’s season on March 3. Benjamin led the Horizon League in assists for the second straight season.
Year Three: Another 21 Wins and Two WBI Victories
The 2015-16 campaign showed the grit and determination of the program under Barnes' guidance. With nine of the 12 players on the roster being freshmen or sophomores and starting four underclassmen in 26 games, YSU finished 21-13 and advanced to the semifinals of the WBI.
Having the resilience to battle back from deficits was a major theme for YSU in 2015-16. The Guins trailed by at least eight in eight of their victories, and they were down by as many as 14 points four times in wins. The Penguins won in the final five seconds five times in 2015-16.
Youngstown State set a new school record for 3-pointers in a season with 299 in 2015-16, surpassing the previous mark of 275 that was set in 2011-12. Arbanas set the individual record with 89 makes, and YSU ranked 12th in the country with 8.8 3-pointers per game. The Penguins also guarded the 3-point line well as they ranked 12th in the country in 3-point field-goal percentage defense.
The season also saw the emergence of Cash, who developed from a walk-on the previous year to a Second-Team All-Horizon League selection. Cash became the first player in school history to lead the team in points, rebounds, steals and blocks in the same season. She ranked fourth in the country and set a YSU record for field-goal percentage at .600.
Barnes achieved a personal milestone as well during the season as he celebrated the 200th victory of his career when the Penguins beat Salem International on Dec. 14.
After the season, Youngstown State was recognized by the WBCA for having the third-best grade point average in the country at 3.64.
Year Two: 21 Wins and a WNIT Berth
In Barnes’ second year, Youngstown State reached the WNIT for just the second time in the program's history. The Penguins won their first 10 games for the first time at the Division I level, and they finished with a 21-11 record for the program's second 20-win season in the last three years. Along with those notable accomplishments on the court, Youngstown State appeared on the WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll in 2014-15 for having a 3.422 GPA, which was the 22nd-best mark of all Division I teams in the country.
The Penguins broke several team records in Barnes' second year while playing with seven true freshmen, the most in the Horizon League and Ohio. YSU set a new standard with 11 non-conference victories, and Arbanas and Benjamin helped the Penguins set new school records for assist-to-turnover ratio and fewest turnovers per game as freshmen. Additionally, Youngstown State had its best marks in points per possession, scoring margin and free-throw percentage in 17 years.
Among the individual highlights in Barnes' second year, Schlegel finished up one of the top two-year stretches in school history. She became just the fifth player in school history to earn first-team all-conference honors twice, and she finished her career with 1,729 points, the fourth-most in school history, and 796 rebounds, the seventh-most in school history. Schlegel signed a professional contract to play in Germany following her senior year.
There were plenty of other individual highlights in 2014-15. Arbanas set a YSU freshman record with 55 3-pointers, which was also the most by any freshman in the conference. Benjamin was voted to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team, and Newman tied the school record for 3-pointers by a sophomore. Senior Latisha Walker had the best year of her career and finished with 49 blocks in 2014-15, the third-most in program history.
Year One: Tournament Semifinals in Season of Growth
Barnes set a new school record for wins by a first-year head coach with 15 during the 2013-14 season. He led an overachieving Penguins squad to a third-place finish in the Horizon League and a berth in the conference tournament semifinals for the second straight season. YSU won its first six league games to match its best start ever to conference play and finished 10-6, which was its second-best record since joining the Horizon League in 2001. The Penguins became just the second league team in the past 16 years to sweep conference champion Green Bay.
Barnes' influence was very noticeable on the offensive end as the Penguins had their best performance in more than a decade. Barnes' group was the highest-scoring offense at YSU since 1999-2000 with an average of 70.3 points per game. Additionally, they had their best rebounding advantage in 19 years.
Several student-athletes flourished in Barnes' offense. Schlegel was among the Horizon League's most-improved players, doubling her previous scoring average and earning first-team all-conference accolades. She averaged 20 points and eight rebounds and set a new school record for made free throws. Liz Hornberger had her best season and averaged a Horizon League-leading 3.1 3-pointers per game during conference play. She made 80 3-pointers during the season and finished her career with a then-school-record 199 treys. Another 3-point specialist, Monica Touvelle, was named the Horizon League's Sixth Player of the Year, and guard Jenna Hirsch was named to the league's all-freshman team.
The program had a 3.46 cumulative GPA in the 2013 fall semester, which was the second-highest GPA of any team on campus. Hornberger and Schlegel were both voted Academic All-Horizon League, giving the Penguins two honorees for the first time.
Before Youngstown State
Barnes came to YSU with 17 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level and had won more than 70 percent of the games he'd coached. Barnes spent the previous season serving as associate head coach at Green Bay and the previous two seasons as an assistant in the Big Ten. He led Division II Michigan Tech to 156 wins and five appearances in the NCAA Tournament as the Huskies' head coach from 2003-10.
Experience at Division I
In his most recent stop before coming to Youngstown State, Barnes was the associate head coach under Kevin Borseth at Green Bay as the Phoenix won the Horizon League regular season and tournament titles in 2012-13. Green Bay finished 29-2 and was ranked in the top 20 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls. The Phoenix allowed 49 points per game in 2012-13, which was the second-fewest in the country.
Barnes also coached with Borseth at Michigan in 2011-12 and helped lead the Wolverines to just their fourth 20-win season in school history and their first at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament in 11 years. Barnes helped lead Wisconsin to the second round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament and a third-place finish in the Big Ten in 2010-11, which was his first at the Division I level.
As an assistant, Barnes had a hand in signing Wisconsin's Miss Basketball at Green Bay, Michigan's Miss Basketball at Michigan and the Michigan Miss Basketball runner-up at Wisconsin.
Building a Powerhouse at his Alma Mater
Before joining Wisconsin's staff, Barnes spent seven seasons leading one of the top Division II programs in the country at Michigan Tech, his alma mater. The Huskies went 156-55 in his seven campaigns, qualified for the NCAA Tournament five times and won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament three times. Michigan Tech advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in each of his last two seasons, and Barnes culminated his career by being named the WBCA Region Coach of the Year in 2009-10. The Huskies went 31-3 that season, setting school records for wins and winning percentage while being ranked No. 1 in the country for seven weeks.
Barnes was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year in each of his final three seasons at Michigan Tech. At Michigan Tech, Barnes recruited and developed the only First-Team All-American in school history, two GLIAC Players of the Year and two Academic All-Americans. The Huskies' team grade-point average ranked in the top five nationally four times in his seven seasons.
Before becoming the head women's coach at Michigan Tech, he spent six years on the men's staff at the Houghton, Mich., campus as an assistant coach. Barnes played an integral role in building the men's program into national prominence as the Huskies went 133-48 while winning the GLIAC North Division four times and making four NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2002-03, his final season on the men's staff, Michigan Tech went 29-3 overall, captured GLIAC regular season and tournament titles and was ranked atop the national poll for a period.
Personal
Barnes grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in Escanaba as part of a large family. He has a twin brother, and the two are the youngest of 12 children. Barnes’ father and an older brother were both basketball coaches.
Barnes was a four-year member of the men's basketball team at Michigan Tech from 1991-95 and earned a spot on the GLIAC All-Defensive Team as a senior. He got his start as a collegiate coach as an assistant at Lake Superior State in 1995-96, helping the Lakers win the GLIAC North Division. Barnes spent a year overseas serving as a player-coach for the St. Nicolai Basketball Club in Denmark in 1996-97 before starting his six-year stint at his alma mater.
Barnes graduated from Michigan Tech in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in scientific and technical communication. He was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in August 2021.
Coaching Timeline
2013-Present — Youngstown State Head Coach
2012-13 — Green Bay Associate Head Coach
2011-12 — Michigan Assistant Coach
2010-11 — Wisconsin Assistant Coach
2003-10 — Michigan Tech Head Coach
1997-03 — Michigan Tech Assistant (Men’s)
1996-97 — St. Nicolai Basketball Club (Denmark) Player Coach
1995-96 — Lake Superior St. Assistant (Men’s)
