Troy, NY - The Sage College Athletic Department is pleased to announce the hiring of Brian Barnes as the Head Men's Basketball Coach/Assistant Athletic Director.   Sage conducted a national search for the right coach to build their program that begins varsity competition in 2009-10. They found their match in their own back yard.

Barnes, a native of the Capital District and graduate of Catholic Central High School, has been the full-time Men’s Basketball assistant coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute since 2005. His experience there helped the program bring in 31 recruits from 12 states over the last two years. During his time at RPI, he also worked as a part-time Undergraduate Admissions counselor.

Prior to his stint on the hill, Barnes played four years of Division I basketball at the University at Albany, being selected captain his senior season and graduating cum laude in 2003. Barnes also earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration while serving as UAlbany’s Director of Basketball Operations for two seasons. In addition, Barnes was the Director of the UAlbany Boys’ Basketball camp, overseeing the growth in enrollment from 30 to 150 campers.

“What made Brian the perfect fit for Sage was his dedication to Division III athletics as part of the educational experience as well as his local knowledge,” said Sage Athletic Director Dani Drews. “Brian impressed us with his organization, his eloquence and his passion for the game…”

For Barnes, the Sage opportunity came at the right time for him after learning his craft from two distinguished coaches in the Capital District. His experience working with Will Brown at UAlbany and Mike Griffin at RPI, gave him the chance to learn all aspects of running a program, from the nuts and bolts of tape exchange to scouting, recruiting and game preparation . Those experiences “…prepared me to meet the challenge of starting a new basketball program with great confidence and determination,” said Barnes.

While there are some hurdles ahead for the newest Gator, such as starting a program from scratch and developing one that continues Sage’s tradition of student-athlete academic achievement, the entire Sage community is behind him. “We are confident that we have the right coach to build Sage’s basketball program,” said Drews. “We’ll do everything we can to help him succeed.”

The basketball team will begin competition in 2009-10 joining the rest of the Gator programs in the Skyline Conference.  The addition of the program is a part of The Sage Colleges athletics expansion plan that includes the start of six new men's teams by 2010-11.