http://blog.al.com/goldmine/2010/03/tony_barbee_says_hes_ready_for.html Auburn University has hired Tony Barbee away from UTEP for its Men's Head Basketball Coach position that had been open after AU fired Jeff Lebo earlier this March. Really good hire by Jay Jacobs, AU's AD. Jacobs has been fighting an uphill battle winning over the Auburn faithful, but after perceived good hires in Gene Chizik (Head Football Coach) and Nell Fortner (Women's Hoops Head Coach), this hire of Tony Barbee ought to win a lot more folks over. Barbee, from the John Calipari coaching tree (which is a little worrisome, I must admit), has improved UTEP each of the four years he was there taking them into the NCAA Tourney this year, where they lost in the first round to Butler. While an assistant at Memphis, under Calipari, Barbee was named the # 3 recruiter in the country by Rivals.com. Street & Smith named him the # 1 assistant. Barbee's name is well-known in the AAU circles, slimy as a lot of those circles may be, and as AU has now completed it's new $90M basketball facilities, he may well be able to take Auburn to new heights in the sport. Known by far to be a "football school", to date, AU has only attended the NCAA Tournament 8 times in its history. The farthest its gotten in the Big Dance is to the Elite 8 in 1986 when it lost to eventual champion, Louisville. In its history, AU has never had a player with a triple-double. Hopefully, with the charasmatic Barbee spearheading the "new era" of AU Hoops, the Tigers will be seeing better players, experiencing more excitement, and a garnering a heavy dose of Tournament action in the years to come.
