The University of Mississippi Athletics
Barnes Named National Coach Of The Year By CollegeInsider.com
3/11/2001 | Men's Basketball
March 11, 2001
NORWOOD, Mass. - Ole Miss' Rod Barnes has been named CollegeInsider.com's National Coach of the Year. CollegeInsider.com, an internet magazine dedicated to college basketball, made the announcement Sunday.
Barnes was one of 10 finalists for CollegeInsider.com's National Coach of the Year Award. The other finalists were Indiana's Mike Davis, Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt, Cincinnati's Bob Huggins, Stanford's Mike Montgomery, Ohio State's Jim O'Brien, Arizona's Lute Olson, Oklahoma's Kelvin Sampson, Boston College's Al Skinner, and Providence's Tim Welsh.
CollegeInsider.com also selected Barnes as its pick for Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year on Mar. 1.
This season, Barnes has guided the Rebels to a 25-6 overall record, an 11-5 SEC mark and the SEC Western Division crown. The SEC West title was Ole Miss' third in the last five years. Ole Miss, which is ranked No. 14 in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 poll and No. 11 in ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll, advanced to Sunday's SEC Tournament championship game and will meet No. 15-ranked Kentucky (21-9, 12-4 SEC) for the title. The game, which will be televised nationally by CBS, is slated for a 12:00 p.m. (CT) start.
Barnes is also one of 20 finalists for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award. The Satartia, Miss., native is one of three SEC coaches on the Naismith list, as Alabama's Mark Gottfried and Florida's Billy Donovan are also up for the honor.
On Feb. 17, Barnes won his 60th game as the Rebel mentor and reached the 60-win milestone the fastest of any head coach in Ole Miss history. Barnes' 60th victory was a 67-61 win over South Carolina. Barnes' coaching record now stands at 64-33.
Barnes played four seasons for the Rebel program from 1984-88. During his playing career, Barnes earned All-SEC honors and All-America honorable mention accolades from The Sporting News in 1988. He finished third in the coaches' balloting for SEC Player of the Year in 1988.
