Central Michigan University Athletics
New CMU men's basketball coach Tony Barbee (center) poses with Zyzelewski Family Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Amy Folan (left) and President Robert O. Davies on Friday at the Kulhavi Events Center.
Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
Tony Barbee: Expectations, Vision, Goals And Building A Program
4/23/2021 8:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CMU welcomes new men's basketball coach to Mount Pleasant
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Tony Barbee is ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work.
And that work is building Central Michigan men's basketball into a contender.
"It's an exciting time," said Barbee, who was introduced as CMU's 21st men's basketball coach on Friday during a Welcome to Campus event along with President Robert Davies and Zyzelewski Family Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Amy Folan in the Kulhavi Events Center. "There are some unique challenges ahead but I'm excited for it, I'm built for it.
"I look forward to embracing the community, the student body. My family and I are looking forward to immersing ourselves in the Mount Pleasant community and looking forward to chasing championships here at Central Michigan."
Barbee comes to CMU after head coaching stops at UTEP and Auburn. For the past seven years, he served as an assistant under John Calipari at Kentucky. Barbee played for Calipari at UMass in the early 1990s.
Clearly, the 49-year-old Barbee has the resumé and the pedigree. And, according to Folan, he has the vision and the fire to lead the program.
"There are a lot of talented basketball coaches and a lot of people who do this because they love the kids," Folan said. "What brought me to Tony was just kind of what you see; it isn't just what his resumé says, it's really the authenticity, it is the grit, it is taking everything that has come at him, the adversity and the success, and using that as a platform to help young people and to really genuinely connect with people.
"It's (about) the substance that lies beneath and I think he has that. I know that's what CMU needs right now and I'm really excited about what lies ahead."
Barbee said he met with the team on Friday morning and laid out his vision for the program. Winning and building a championship program, he said, is the result of discipline, energy and enthusiasm.
"I wanted to let each and every one of those guys know that my job, along with the staff that I'm going to put together, is to help them reach their goals and their dreams," he said. "That's our No. 1 priority.
"It was the vision of Amy Folan and President Davies; their vision of what they want the basketball program to look like, the success they want the basketball program to ultimately achieve on the court, in the classroom, in the community. How they envisioned (the program) getting there aligned with my goals and my dreams of how you build a program."
Barbee said that connecting with and building a rapport with program supporters – alumni, the student body, the community – are critical to his goals for turning CMU into a winner. They are partners in the process, he said.
"It's been a while, it's been long overdue," he said, "and I know the fan base is a little frustrated, but better times are ahead and we're going to bring it every day. Nobody's going to outwork me, my staff or my team and look forward to the challenge and getting started."
"Nobody's expectations will be higher than mine on where this program will go. There will be a set of standards that I'll set within the program that players (and) my staff will live by on a day-to-day basis. I've always said that coaches can win games, but it takes a community of people and an administration that are fully invested to win a championship."
Barbee's first head coaching job at UTEP came in 2006 after he had served as an assistant at UMass, Wyoming and Memphis. He said the foundation was laid when he played for Calipari at UMass from 1989-93 and twice earned All-Atlantic 10 honors.
"You knew as a player that when you showed up to practice, (Calipari) was bringing it every day," he said. "Never a day off. Creating that culture starts there. Accountability starts with the head coach. That's the foundation that I want to build here to start to grow and build this program.
"We're going to play a tough, hard-nosed, physical brand of basketball. It'll be defense first which will turn into a fast-paced and analytics-based common-sense approach offensively built around the personnel that we have. Being able to take a program and mold it and shape it into your identity, that's what I'm looking forward to."
And that work is building Central Michigan men's basketball into a contender.
"It's an exciting time," said Barbee, who was introduced as CMU's 21st men's basketball coach on Friday during a Welcome to Campus event along with President Robert Davies and Zyzelewski Family Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Amy Folan in the Kulhavi Events Center. "There are some unique challenges ahead but I'm excited for it, I'm built for it.
"I look forward to embracing the community, the student body. My family and I are looking forward to immersing ourselves in the Mount Pleasant community and looking forward to chasing championships here at Central Michigan."
Barbee comes to CMU after head coaching stops at UTEP and Auburn. For the past seven years, he served as an assistant under John Calipari at Kentucky. Barbee played for Calipari at UMass in the early 1990s.
Clearly, the 49-year-old Barbee has the resumé and the pedigree. And, according to Folan, he has the vision and the fire to lead the program.
"There are a lot of talented basketball coaches and a lot of people who do this because they love the kids," Folan said. "What brought me to Tony was just kind of what you see; it isn't just what his resumé says, it's really the authenticity, it is the grit, it is taking everything that has come at him, the adversity and the success, and using that as a platform to help young people and to really genuinely connect with people.
"It's (about) the substance that lies beneath and I think he has that. I know that's what CMU needs right now and I'm really excited about what lies ahead."
Barbee said he met with the team on Friday morning and laid out his vision for the program. Winning and building a championship program, he said, is the result of discipline, energy and enthusiasm.
"I wanted to let each and every one of those guys know that my job, along with the staff that I'm going to put together, is to help them reach their goals and their dreams," he said. "That's our No. 1 priority.
"It was the vision of Amy Folan and President Davies; their vision of what they want the basketball program to look like, the success they want the basketball program to ultimately achieve on the court, in the classroom, in the community. How they envisioned (the program) getting there aligned with my goals and my dreams of how you build a program."
Barbee said that connecting with and building a rapport with program supporters – alumni, the student body, the community – are critical to his goals for turning CMU into a winner. They are partners in the process, he said.
"It's been a while, it's been long overdue," he said, "and I know the fan base is a little frustrated, but better times are ahead and we're going to bring it every day. Nobody's going to outwork me, my staff or my team and look forward to the challenge and getting started."
"Nobody's expectations will be higher than mine on where this program will go. There will be a set of standards that I'll set within the program that players (and) my staff will live by on a day-to-day basis. I've always said that coaches can win games, but it takes a community of people and an administration that are fully invested to win a championship."
Barbee's first head coaching job at UTEP came in 2006 after he had served as an assistant at UMass, Wyoming and Memphis. He said the foundation was laid when he played for Calipari at UMass from 1989-93 and twice earned All-Atlantic 10 honors.
"You knew as a player that when you showed up to practice, (Calipari) was bringing it every day," he said. "Never a day off. Creating that culture starts there. Accountability starts with the head coach. That's the foundation that I want to build here to start to grow and build this program.
"We're going to play a tough, hard-nosed, physical brand of basketball. It'll be defense first which will turn into a fast-paced and analytics-based common-sense approach offensively built around the personnel that we have. Being able to take a program and mold it and shape it into your identity, that's what I'm looking forward to."
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