Corey Barker - Men's Basketball Coach - Bowling Green State University Athletics

Corey Barker

Title:
Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
Email:
cobarke@bgsu.edu
Phone:
419-372-7073

Assistant Coach Corey Barker recently wrapped up his first year on the sidelines for the Falcons in 2014-15.

In his first year on the Falcons’ coaching staff in 2014-15, the Falcons posted an overall record of 21-12 and a record of 11-7 in MAC play on the year. The 21 wins was a nine win improvement from the previous year’s wins total of 12 victories in 2013-14 and was the first 20-win season for the Falcons since 2001-02. In fact, the 21 wins were the most wins in a single season for the men’s basketball program since BGSU totaled 24 victories in 2001-02.

Bowling Green also made history in postseason play in 2014-15, as the Falcons earned a first round win over Saint Francis (Pa.) in the 2015 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) to pick up the program’s first national postseason tournament win since defeating Tennessee in the National Commissioner’s Invitational in 1975. BGSU also won its 2015 MAC Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament first round game to advance to the Q-Arena in Cleveland, Ohio for the second round of the conference championship tournament for the first time since 2010-11.

As a team, the Falcons led the conference and ranked 75th nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 62.9 points per game, ranked fourth in the MAC and 92nd nationally in field goal percentage defense at 41.3 percent, and fourth in the league and 134th in rebounding margin at 1.4.

Barker came to BGSU after serving as a member of the Arkansas State University men's basketball coaching staff for two seasons from 2012-14. In his two years on the bench at Arkansas State, the Red Wolves posted back-to-back 19 win seasons and totaled 38 wins overall.

The Red Wolves also advanced to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament in both 2012-13 and 2013-14.

A-State's 19 victories in 2013-14 matched the 2012-13 team's wins output and tied for the program's highest single-season win total since the 1997-98 campaign when the Red Wolves went 20-9. The last time A-State registered back-to-back 19 victories or more was 1986-89 when the Red Wolves compiled a 21-13 record in 1986-87, a 21-14 mark in 1987-88, and a 20-10 ledger in 1988-89.

At A-State, Barker helped to tutor Kirk Van Slyke and Melvin Johnson III. Van Slyke was named to the 2013-14 Sun Belt All-Conference Second-Team, all-league second-team by College Sports Madness, and to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District 24 First-Team. He was also a recipient of a SBC Academic Honor Roll Award, while Johnson III garnered third-team all-conference accolades and was also chosen as a College Sports Madness all-conference third-team performer.

In his first year at Arkansas State in 2012-13, Barker coached Brandon Peterson and Trey Finn who were named to the All-Sun Belt Conference Second and Third-Teams, respectively.

Barker arrived at A-State in June 2012 after spending the 2011-12 season as an assistant coach at Paris (Texas) Junior College where he helped lead the Blazers to a 23-6 overall record and to a Region XIV Zone Conference Championship Title. While at Paris JC, Barker's responsibilities included recruiting and player development.

Prior to his coaching stint at Paris JC, Barker served as an assistant for the 2010-11 campaign at North Forest High School in Houston, Texas. Barker played a key role in helping NFHS improve its season wins total to 22 overall compared to just 13 wins in the previous 2009-10 season.

From 2005-10, Barker was an assistant coach at Humble Christian Life Center Academy in Humble, Texas where he recruited and coached some of the nation's top players such as Augustine Rubit (South Alabama), Latavious Williams (NBA draft pick-Miami), Junior Cadougan (Marquette) and Kourtney Roberson (Texas A&M). Barker handled film breakdown, practice organization and player evaluation along with directing preseason and off-season individual workouts.

A native of Houston, Texas, Barker graduated from Prairie View A&M University in 2003 with a degree in Kinesiology. He helped lead the Panthers to their first conference title since 1962. Following his playing career, Barker served as a graduate assistant at Prairie View A&M under former head coach Jerome Francis.

Barker, a 1998 graduate of Eisenhower High School in Houston, Texas, played on the school's varsity basketball team from 1995-98.

The son of Miki White Barker, Corey has two brothers and two sisters. Barker comes from a strong basketball pedigree as his grandfather and uncle served as Division I head coaches in the collegiate ranks.