Murray State University Athletics
Miller Welcomes Long-Time Head Coach Tony Barbee to Coaching Staff
5/1/2026 9:37:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Barbee served as head coach at Auburn, Central Michigan and UTEP during decorated career
Murray State head men's basketball coach Ryan Miller is adding former Auburn, Central Michigan and UTEP head coach and multi-time Coach of the Year recipient Tony Barbee to the Racers' staff as the program's Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The reunion will be the third time that Miller and Barbee will coach on the same staff, having previously been together at Memphis (2003-06) and Auburn (2012-14).
Tony is going to bring invaluable experience to our coaching staff and will be a tremendous asset for us on the recruiting trail, Miller said. Having been a head coach at three different programs and serving as a top assistant coach for one of the best coaches in the game, he understands the ins-and-outs of program management and brings in a positive championship mentality. I have worked with him on two other occasions, and I am excited to watch the impact he will have on the Racers this season.
Prior to arriving in San Antonio and serving at Incarnate Word last season, Barbee served as head coach of the Central Michigan Chippewas for four seasons, where he was named the 2023-24 Mid-American Conference Coach of the year and 2023-24 NABC District 14 Coach of the Year.
I'm beyond excited to join Ryan and his staff at Murray State, Barbee said. I have known Ryan and his family for a long time, and have worked with him at two previous universities. I love his vision and what he's building, and look forward to helping him take Murray State Basketball to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference.
He arrived at CMU from Kentucky where he spent seven seasons as a member of Hall of Fame coach John Calipari's staff. During his tenure at Kentucky, Barbee served in three roles: associate to the head coach (2020-21), assistant coach (2015-20) and special assistant to the head coach (2014-15). He helped Kentucky win four Southeastern Conference regular-season championships and four SEC Tournament titles, and the Wildcats made five NCAA Tournament appearances including a Final Four berth in 2015.
Barbee also helped the Wildcats secure a top-three nationally ranked recruiting class every season he was with the program, including the nation's top class in 2016, 2017 and 2020. He coached 13 NBA Draft selections at Kentucky, including 10 first-round picks and eight players taken in the lottery.
First round picks during Barbee's time at Kentucky included: Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles, Devin Booker, Jamal Murray, Skal Labissière, De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Bam Adebayo, Kevin Knox II, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, P.J. Washington, Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson, Tyrese Maxey, Immanuel Quickley and Isaiah Jackson.
Barbee's four-year tenure as the head coach at UTEP saw the Miners increase their win total each season and average 20.5 victories per year. In 2009-10, UTEP finished 26-7, including 15-1 in C-USA play, winning their first regular-season league title in six years and earning an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Barbee played for Calipari from 1989-93 at Massachusetts, where he was part of teams that won back-to-back Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament championships in 1992 and 1993. The Minutemen earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament both years and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 1992.
Barbee earned All-Atlantic 10 second team honors in 1991 and 1993 and was an all-conference freshman team selection in 1990. UMass went 91-39 during his time with the program. He was inducted into the UMass Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.
Barbee also had coaching stints at Massachusetts, Wyoming and Memphis before becoming a head coach. He began as a graduate assistant at UMass (1995-98) before landing his first assistant job at Wyoming in 1998-99. He returned to UMass for one year and then went to Memphis, where he coached from 2001-06.
During Barbee's six seasons in Memphis, the Tigers won 148 games, two C-USA titles and made three trips to the NCAA Tournament including an Elite Eight appearance in 2006. Memphis boasted six consecutive top-10 nationally ranked recruiting classes, with the 2001 class ranking No. 1 in the country.
The Indianapolis native earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in sports management and a minor in African-American studies from UMass in 1993. He played professionally in Spain and France before turning to coaching.
Barbee and his wife, Holly, have a daughter, Hayden, and a son, Andrew.
While Murray State stays laser focused on competitive excellence during the golden era of Racer Athletics, the department will embark on a bold, comprehensive $100 million fundraising campaign, Leading The Pack, to further position itself for the future by investing in student-athlete success and wellness, revenue share and competitive resources and world-class facilities.
Learn more about how you can support the campaign by clicking HERE.
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