Tony Barbee - Men's Basketball Coach - Murray State University Athletics

Tony Barbee

Title:
Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator

Tony Barbee joined Murray State Basketball as Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator ahead of the 2026-27 season, bringing more than three decades of basketball experience as a player, coach and recruiter to the Racers.

A multi-time Coach of the Year recipient, Barbee is reunited with head coach Ryan Miller for the third time, having previously been together at Memphis (2003-06) and Auburn (2012-14).

One of the most decorated coaches in the sport, Barbee brings more than thirty years of coaching experience, including head coaching stints at CMU, Auburn, and UTEP. Known as one of the top basketball minds in the country with a long track record of developing elite talent, he is a two-time conference Coach of the Year recipient.

Most recently, Barbee served as an assistant coach at Incarnate Word during the 2025-26 season. As head coach at Central Michigan (2021-25), he guided the Chippewas to an 18-14 record during the 2023-24 season and earning Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year honors while also being named the 2023-24 NABC District 14 Coach of the Year. Barbee earned his first head coaching opportunity at UTEP (2006-10) and improved the program's record each year, culminating with a 26-7 season in 2009-10 while winning the Conference USA regular-season championship and earning an NCAA Tournament appearance and Conference USA Coach of the Year honors. He was also the head coach at Auburn for four seasons (2010-2014).

Barbee spent seven seasons as a member of Hall of Fame coach John Calipari's staff at Kentucky, serving 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'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; the 2001 class was ranked 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.