Rod Barnes became the eighth head men's basketball coach at CSU Bakersfield on Mar. 30, 2011, and enters his 15th season at the helm of the Roadrunners in fall of 2025.
In his tenure at CSUB, Barnes has led the `Runners to postseason play four times including three appearances over a four-year span. A vocal advocate for academic success, Barnes has enjoyed watching 46 different `Runners earn their bachelor’s degrees from CSUB while three men have earned master’s degrees.
Barnes' vision for the `Runner program came to fruition in 2015-16 as he led CSUB to its best NCAA Division I record at 24-9 (11-3 WAC) while also guiding the 'Runners to a WAC Tournament championship and their first NCAA Tournament appearance.
During the 2016-17 season, Barnes built on the success of the 2016 NCAA Tournament bid, leading his team to a WAC regular-season championship, another first for the program. After falling in the WAC Tournament final, the `Runners made the best of their National Invitational Tournament (NIT) run, winning three road games and becoming the first eight-seed to advance to Madison Square Garden for the NIT semifinals. CSUB also set a new Division I program record with 25 wins that year.
During the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, Barnes posted a 49-19 record and was named 'Don Haskins Coach of the Year' in the Western Athletic Conference each year. He was also named 'Hugh Durham Mid Major Coach of the Year' in 2017 by CollegeInsider.com.
The 2018-19 season saw Barnes’ program return to the postseason for the third time in the last four years. The `Runners accepted an invitation to the CollegeInisder.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) and again proved to be a force on the road. CSUB won back-to-back games away from home before falling in the CIT quarterfinals.
CSUB transitioned from the Western Athletic Conference to the Big West Conference in Summer of 2020. During the program’s tenure in the WAC – seven seasons, all under Barnes – the `Runners earned two conference titles, one NABC All-Region honoree, 22 All-WAC nods, and seven Academic All-WAC honorees.
The Big West promised increased parity across a deep league and Barnes’ squad outperformed its predicted 2020-21 finish in the new conference. The `Runners posted a 15-10 record in the COVID-abbreviated season while battling to earn the fifth seed at the Big West Championship, just two games behind second-seeded UC Irvine. CSUB’s first Big West season also featured a First Team All-Conference honoree for guard Taze Moore. In three seasons in the Big West, three `Runners have earned Honorable Mention All-Conference nods and four have taken away Academic All-Big West honorees.
Barnes has led Bakersfield to several program milestones starting with his first season in 2011 when the `Runners made their first NCAA Division I postseason appearance, earning a spot in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament after posting a 16-15 record. Barnes also won his 200th game as a Division I head coach Feb. 22, 2012, when the Roadrunners defeated New Jersey Tech on the road in double overtime. Barnes was named “Independent Coach of the Year” by CollegeSportsMadness.com in 2012.
With a 210-231 record in 14 complete seasons at CSUB, Barnes has a 396-420 career record as of the end of the 2024-25 season. He became the second-most winning coach in Bakersfield’s history on Feb. 13, 2020, with a home win over Chicago State, trailing only Pat Douglass’ 257 victories.
Barnes came to Bakersfield off a stint at Georgia State (2007-11) where he added 44 wins to his coaching resume and helped rebuild a basketball program amidst academic, administrative, and conference turmoil.
Prior to Georgia State, Barnes led his alma mater Ole Miss to the Sweet 16 in the 2001 NCAA Tournament. The same year, he was named SEC Coach of the Year and Naismith national coach of the year. Barnes posted a win percentage of .564 (141-109) in eight years in the SEC while producing three 20-win seasons.
Barnes had a stellar career as a player at Ole Miss, averaging 19.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists as a senior. He became in the first player in the history of the program to collect 500 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists in a single season. Barnes is the only person in the storied history of the Southeastern Conference to be named both All-SEC as a player and SEC Coach of the Year. He was inducted as a member of the Ole Miss Hall of Fame in the Fall of 2012.
He is a 1988 graduate of Mississippi with a degree in business management. Barnes is married to his wife Bridgett and has three sons, Brandon, Bray, and stepson Corey. Bray (2016-19) and Brandon (2013-14) both competed for Barnes at CSUB during their collegiate careers. The Barnes family now features three CSUB alumni: Bridgett, Brandon, and Bray.
