Barnwell Tabbed as Iowa Assistant Coach

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Luke Barnwell has been named an assistant coach with the University of Iowa men’s basketball program, it was announced Wednesday by head coach Ben McCollum. 

Barnwell comes to Iowa City with 14 years of coaching experience, most recently spending two seasons in the Big 12 Conference at Texas Tech.  He also spent 10 seasons as head coach at Sunrise Christian Academy where he was named the 2021 and 2022 Naismith High School Boys Coach of the Year and led the team to the 2022 National Interscholastic Basketball Conference Championships.

“I have known Luke for a number of years,” said McCollum.  “He is an elite recruiter, excellent coach and has had a ton of success at the prep level. He also has a lot of experience at the Power 5 level with one of the top coaches in the country in Grant McCasland.   We’re excited to have Luke join our program.”

During his two seasons in Lubbock, Barnwell helped lead the Red Raiders to a 51-20 record and two trips to the NCAA Tournament.  Texas Tech advanced to the Elite Eight in his second season, finishing the year with a 28-9 overall record along with a 15-5 mark in Big 12 play.

The Red Raiders were in the Associated Press Top 10 for the final five weeks of the season and finished the year with the third-most wins in program history.

“I am incredibly blessed to be a part of the University of Iowa and coach McCollum’s staff,” said Barnwell. “My family and I look forward to being back in the Midwest to work for this university, community and program.”

 

Along with the team success in year two, Barnwell helped develop JT Toppin, Darrion Williams and Chance McMillian -- all three of which earned multiple postseason honors.  Toppin was an All-American while also being named the Big 12 Player of the Year, Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and to the All-Big 12 first team.

Barnwell helped to Texas Tech to the 2024 NCAA Tournament and a 23-win season in his first year. The team tied for third in the Big 12 standings and advanced to the semifinals of the 2024 Big 12 Championship.

Barnwell spent his final eight seasons leading the Sunrise Christian Elite team where he compiled a 178-28 record competing against the elite basketball programs across the country.  He led SCA to five consecutive GEICO Nationals and coached more than 75 NCAA Division I players and worked with six NBA players.

His team was ranked No. 1 throughout the 2022 season and won the inaugural NIBC. The program once again advanced to the final four of the GEICO High School National Tournament in 2023 with an upset of the top seed. He coached NBA players Kennedy Chandler, Kendall Brown, Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji and helped train Buddy Hield and Ron Baker.

Barnwell began his time at SCA as the head coach of the post-grad basketball team where he led the program to a 41-13 record from 2012-15. He earned Midwest Prep Coach of the Year in 2015 and helped 13 players advance to NCAA Division I programs.

Barnwell gained coaching experience within the Mokan Nike Elite program where he was the head coach of Mokan 17U Select in 2014 and Mokan 15U Elite in 2015. He also assisted Mokan programs from 2016-18.

A native of Emporia, Kansas, Barnwell played college basketball at Newman University and Emporia State before beginning his coaching career as a student assistant.  

Barnwell earned his bachelor’s degree in sports communications with an emphasis in coaching from Newman University in 2013.   He and his wife, Emily, have an 11-month-old daughter, Keylynn.