Barnes looks to return to his winning ways

Rod Barnes doesn't like the way his first college head coaching experience ended at Mississippi earlier this year.

He hopes to get another shot at Southeast Missouri State.

Barnes was the last of three finalists for Southeast's vacant men's basketball coaching position brought to campus for a series of interviews on Monday, following former Missouri assistant Jay Spoonhour on Friday and Tennessee assistant and former Murray State head coach Scott Edgar on Thursday.

Barnes met with various Southeast administrators much of the day, talked with current players and then spoke at a public forum in the Show Me Center meeting rooms. Later, he met with the media.

"I'm excited about the opportunity," said Barnes, 40. "I'm committed to getting this basketball program to the top of this league and one of the best mid-major programs in the country.

Barnes' eight-year run at Mississippi was marked by a sensational beginning and a sour finish.

The Rebels posted three 20-win seasons in Barnes' first four years, advancing to the NCAA tournament in 1999, 2001 and 2002.

Barnes earned Southeastern Conference and Naismith national coach of the year honors in 2001 for a 27-8 campaign that ended in the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 -- the only time in program history the team has advanced that far.

But the Rebels had losing records in each of Barnes' final four seasons. He was dismissed this year after Mississippi went 14-15 overall and 4-12 in the Southeastern Conference.

"Obviously, that was a tough finish there," said Barnes, whose overall record at Mississippi was 141-108. "But we did some wonderful things there. I feel I proved myself with what we did at Ole Miss. I feel good about it. And we left some really good players there."

Barnes said Mississippi's recruiting class was ranked in the top 15 nationally in 2005.

With some prodding, Barnes acknowledged that the Mississippi basketball program ranks at or toward the bottom of the power-packed SEC in resources such as facilities and finances.

The former all-SEC guard at Mississippi also pointed out that the Rebels lacked any kind of basketball tradition to speak of until he joined their staff in 1993 as an assistant. He spent five years in that position before moving up to head coach.

"When I went there with Rob Evans, Ole Miss was at the bottom of the SEC. We started a tradition," Barnes said. "I've been in a position where I've been part of a program that was down and we had to rebuild, which I think will help me here.

"You look at my record, where the program was ... nobody knew about Ole Miss. I have no shame. To be four wins from being the all-time winningest coach there ..."

Still, Barnes said of the Rebels' struggles the last few years: "No excuses. It falls on me."

Barnes said he has learned from some of the mistakes he made at Mississippi and would not repeat them at Southeast.

In particular, Barnes -- who said he always had a major hand in recruiting even while he was Mississippi's head coach -- thinks he spread himself too thin following the Rebels' successful seasons.

"I was named national coach of the year ... we got to the level where there were so many things I had to do, the media, speaking engagements," he said. "I was a young coach, 34, 35 ... I just spread myself out too much.

"My goal here is to not make some of the mistakes I made at Ole Miss. If we get to the heights here, winning OVC championships, there will be a lot of emphasis on continuing to build the program, not resting on our laurels. I will continue to be active in recruiting, like I was as an assistant, like I was early as a head coach and later as a head coach."

Barnes, who was accompanied to Cape Girardeau by his wife Bridgett -- he has two sons, Brandon, 14, and Bray, 10, along with a stepson, Corey, 24, -- said he has extensive recruiting ties to the region.

"We've had players from the Bootheel, Arkansas, Memphis; we would be able to recruit St. Louis," Barnes said. "Those wouldn't be our only areas. I have had a lot of success recruiting in places like Birmingham and Jackson, Miss., but you have to start here."

Barnes, who emphasized how big a role family and faith play in his life, prefers a defensive style, with an offense that breaks when the opportunity is there.

"The defensive end, that's where I think you win championships," he said. "We're going to press. From the time they open the door and tip it off, we want to be in their face."

Offensively, Barnes said, "We want the first available good shot. If you watched the Final Four, we're more like Florida. If we can get a break, take it, if not, set up. I think it's a style people will enjoy."

Asked how soon he envisions winning an Ohio Valley Conference championship, Barnes said, "That's hard to say, until I get on the floor.

"There are some talented players here, from what the coaches have said, on paper. I would hope we can compete for the OVC championship next year. But I can't make that statement until I get on the floor."

If hired as the Redhawks' new coach, Barnes -- who raved about Cape Girardeau and the Show Me Center -- said he'll have the necessary tools to build a winner.

"Everything is in place, the facility, the community, the support of the booster club," Barnes said. "This is a basketball area. I think we can do great things here."

Southeast athletic director Don Kaverman said the university expects to name a replacement for Gary Garner in the next few days. Garner's contract was not renewed following a 7-20 season. He had coached Southeast the past nine years.

"Our intent is to get it done by Thursday," Kaverman said. "We need a little time to digest what we've been through, talk to people who have taken part in this process, provide them the opportunity to give feedback. This is a big decision for the university."