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COLUMBUS — When teams have a historic season like the Fairfield Union girls’ basketball team had this year, most certainly, they have to have talented players, but at the high school level, coaching is huge.
Throughout the season, each time a different player was interviewed after a game, without fail, they would always bring up coach Barr and what a difference-maker he was to the team. They talked about how hard they wanted to play for him and what a great coach he was.
After not coaching for 15 years, Barr got back in it after being the Falcons’ boys varsity basketball coach. He wasn’t sure what to expect after such a long layoff and coaching girls' basketball for the first time, but he proved to be a difference-maker.
On Monday, Barr was named the Division IV State Coach of the Year by the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association.
More: What a remarkable ride: My journey from the MV News mail room to the OPSMA Hall of Fame
“It is an amazing honor, I haven’t wrapped my head around it,” Barr said of being chosen as the state coach of the year. “I just showed up every day and was passionate about what we were trying to do, and I think the girls respected that. I am passionate about the game of basketball and the girls bought in and made my job a lot easier. I just showed up every day and went to work and good things happened.”
Boy, did they ever.
Barr led the Falcons to 27 wins and a trip to the Division IV final four in his first season. The Falcons finished with a 27-1 overall record, the most wins in school history, which Mid-State League-Buckeye Division, Southeast District, and regional championships.
“I didn’t know what to expect when I took the job,” Barr said. “I didn’t know what the team chemistry was going to be like, but it was amazing how all the girls clicked. We didn’t have any drama, and it was amazing how everyone came together, and how quickly they came together. Things just kind of took off. The girls took to coaching and they were like sponges. It was a special group.”
Barr is emotional and he wasn’t afraid to get on his players, but along the way, he felt like he taught them some valuable life lessons.
“A lot of people asked me how was it coaching girls and would them we got on them and I coached them up just like we do with the boys,” Barr said. “I think being out of coaching for 15 years gave me a little more perspective on things, and there were things that happened this year, that 20 years ago, I would have blown my top. Being older, I see things through a different lens and things don’t bother me as much. And, of course, winning 27 straight, made things easier.”
One of the life lessons he taught was on full display in a game early in the season at Teays Valley. Christian Thompson was struggling somewhat in the first quarter and Barr wasn’t happy about her play, so he took her out early in the game and sat her.
The message was clear. If you aren’t doing your job, no matter who you are, he will find someone else to do it. Barr didn’t want to say he was sending a message, but it was clear that he was. Thompson responded the right way. When she was inserted back in, she dominated the rest of the game.
“That’s the way I have always been, if you are not doing what we ask you to do, it doesn’t matter who you are or how many points you score or how important you are, if you aren’t getting it done, we are going to sit you until you get your mind right and get out there do what we ask you to do,” Barr said. “I’ve probably lost some games in the past by being stubborn and doing that.
“The big picture is, the players, and it doesn’t matter who it is, need to realize that you have to go to work every day, whether it’s basketball or your job. You have to be there and do what you are supposed to do, or things aren’t going to go well. The message I want to send is it’s bigger than basketball. You have to do what the boss tells you to do, and if not, in basketball, you are going to get sit, but in real life, you are going to get fired.”
When asked what legacy the 2024-25 Fairfield Union girls basketball team will leave, Barr stated, “I told the players they are going to be legends. We have never had a team go 27-0 and make the run they did. This was a special group.”
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at [email protected] for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Fairfield Union’s Keith Barr named Division IV State Coach of the Year
Continue reading...
Throughout the season, each time a different player was interviewed after a game, without fail, they would always bring up coach Barr and what a difference-maker he was to the team. They talked about how hard they wanted to play for him and what a great coach he was.
After not coaching for 15 years, Barr got back in it after being the Falcons’ boys varsity basketball coach. He wasn’t sure what to expect after such a long layoff and coaching girls' basketball for the first time, but he proved to be a difference-maker.
On Monday, Barr was named the Division IV State Coach of the Year by the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association.
More: What a remarkable ride: My journey from the MV News mail room to the OPSMA Hall of Fame
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“It is an amazing honor, I haven’t wrapped my head around it,” Barr said of being chosen as the state coach of the year. “I just showed up every day and was passionate about what we were trying to do, and I think the girls respected that. I am passionate about the game of basketball and the girls bought in and made my job a lot easier. I just showed up every day and went to work and good things happened.”
Boy, did they ever.
Barr led the Falcons to 27 wins and a trip to the Division IV final four in his first season. The Falcons finished with a 27-1 overall record, the most wins in school history, which Mid-State League-Buckeye Division, Southeast District, and regional championships.
“I didn’t know what to expect when I took the job,” Barr said. “I didn’t know what the team chemistry was going to be like, but it was amazing how all the girls clicked. We didn’t have any drama, and it was amazing how everyone came together, and how quickly they came together. Things just kind of took off. The girls took to coaching and they were like sponges. It was a special group.”
Barr is emotional and he wasn’t afraid to get on his players, but along the way, he felt like he taught them some valuable life lessons.
“A lot of people asked me how was it coaching girls and would them we got on them and I coached them up just like we do with the boys,” Barr said. “I think being out of coaching for 15 years gave me a little more perspective on things, and there were things that happened this year, that 20 years ago, I would have blown my top. Being older, I see things through a different lens and things don’t bother me as much. And, of course, winning 27 straight, made things easier.”
One of the life lessons he taught was on full display in a game early in the season at Teays Valley. Christian Thompson was struggling somewhat in the first quarter and Barr wasn’t happy about her play, so he took her out early in the game and sat her.
The message was clear. If you aren’t doing your job, no matter who you are, he will find someone else to do it. Barr didn’t want to say he was sending a message, but it was clear that he was. Thompson responded the right way. When she was inserted back in, she dominated the rest of the game.
“That’s the way I have always been, if you are not doing what we ask you to do, it doesn’t matter who you are or how many points you score or how important you are, if you aren’t getting it done, we are going to sit you until you get your mind right and get out there do what we ask you to do,” Barr said. “I’ve probably lost some games in the past by being stubborn and doing that.
“The big picture is, the players, and it doesn’t matter who it is, need to realize that you have to go to work every day, whether it’s basketball or your job. You have to be there and do what you are supposed to do, or things aren’t going to go well. The message I want to send is it’s bigger than basketball. You have to do what the boss tells you to do, and if not, in basketball, you are going to get sit, but in real life, you are going to get fired.”
When asked what legacy the 2024-25 Fairfield Union girls basketball team will leave, Barr stated, “I told the players they are going to be legends. We have never had a team go 27-0 and make the run they did. This was a special group.”
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at [email protected] for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Fairfield Union’s Keith Barr named Division IV State Coach of the Year
Continue reading...
