Barbee Joins Murray State, Returning to Mid-Major Level

0:00It's April 27th. Welcome in. This is Birmingham News today, where local news meets AI. Tony Barbie, the former Auburn basketball head coach, is landing a new gig as associate head coach at Murray State. He'll join forces with head coach Ryan Miller, who just got hired ahead of the 2025-2026 season. Barbie coached the Tigers from 2010-2014, but now he's circling back to the mid-major level. After Auburn let him go, Barbie bounced around as an assistant under John Calipari at Kentucky from 2014 to 2021. Then he took the head job at Central Michigan for four seasons, got fired after the 2024-2025 campaign, and spent last year as an assistant at Incarnate Word. His time at Auburn wasn't stellar. With a 49-win 75 losses record, matching what he did at Central Michigan. That winning percentage marked the lowest for a Tigers coach since the 1946-1947 season. Barbie's exit paved the way for Bruce Pearl, who turned

1:03Auburn into a powerhouse with three-south Eastern Conference regular season titles. Two, tournament crowns, and two final four runs. Pearl stepped down right before this season started, and Auburn tapped his son Steven to take over. Coaching moves like this keep the carousel spinning, especially with fresh blood at places like Murray State looking to build momentum.