Tony Barbee named new men's basketball coach
A new era of CMU men’s basketball officially began April 22, 2021.
Tony Barbee was introduced as the 21st head coach in program history in a virtual press conference Friday.
“I’m looking forward to chasing championships at CMU” Barbee said. “It’s been a long time and long overdue. It’s time to get back to winning ways. I’m excited for the opportunity and can’t wait to get started.”
He will replace Keno Davis, who served as head coach from 2012-21, finding 142-143 overall and 62-96 in the Mid-American Conference.
Barbee has just over 25 years of coaching under his belt with stints as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Massachusetts, Wyoming and Memphis from 1996-2006 before taking his first head coaching job at the University of Texas-El Paso, leading the Miners to an 85-52 record, two CBI appearances and a 2010 NCAA Tournament appearance after the Miners finished 26-7 and 15-1 in Conference USA.
Barbee spent the next four seasons as the head coach at Auburn before being released in 2014 after a 49-75 overall record and 18-50 record in Southeastern Conference action. He spent the previous seven seasons as an assistant coach at Kentucky under John Calipari. Barbee spent four seasons as a player for Calipari at UMass and 14 seasons on Calipari’s coaching staff at UMass, Memphis and Kentucky.
Barbee signed a letter of acceptance to take the role but has not signed his official contract. Folan said his deal will be "similar to the contract of the last coach."
While Barbee’s resume was a selling point for athletic director Amy Folan, the authenticity, grit and ability to overcome adversity were the determining factors in naming him head coach.
“I’m confident that he is the person that can make us a leader in the MAC, in the student-athlete experience and in the fan experience,” Folan said. “I’m excited to have his as our basketball coach and work with him in a partnership to make all of these great things happen for our student athletes, for our community, and for this great Central Michigan University.”
While Barbee struggled to keep his CMU face mask over his nose throughout the duration of the press conference, his message was made loud and clear.
“Nobody’s expectations will be higher than mine on where this program will go,” Barbee said. “I’ve always said that coaches can win games, but it takes a community of people and an administration that are fully invested in that success, and that’s what truly excited me about this opportunity. There’s nobody that’s going to harder and there’s no one who will outwork me and my staff to make sure we get this program back to the top of the MAC.”
Barbee met with the team Friday morning to discuss his plans for the program and will meet with eight current remaining players individually over the next 24-48 hours. He is also planning on speaking with CMU players currently in the transfer portal since they are still enrolled at CMU and not committed to another program.
