Luke Barnwell

Luke Barnwell is entering his second season as an assistant coach with the University of Iowa men’s basketball program.  

Barnwell has 15 years of coaching experience, including two seasons as an assistant coach at Texas Tech and 10 seasons as the head coach at Sunrise Christian Academy.  During his tenure at Sunrise, Barnwell was named the 2021 and 2022 Naismith High School Boys Coach of the Year and led the program to the 2022 National Interscholastic Basketball Conference Championships.

During his first season in Iowa City, Barnwell helped guide the Hawkeyes to the program's first Elite Eight appearance in 39 years and its first Sweet 16 since 1999. As a No. 9 seed, Iowa downed three higher-seeded teams -- No. 8 Clemson, No. 1 Florida and No. 4 Nebraska.  The Hawkeyes led their South Region title game with seven minutes remaining with a Final Four spot on the line.

Iowa's 73-72 win over top-seeded Florida gave the Hawkeyes their second victory all-time against a defending national champion. Iowa became the ninth No. 9 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed and just the sixth No. 9 seed all-time to advance to the Elite Eight.

The Hawkeyes finished the 2025-26 season with a 24-13 overall record, with the 24 victories tying for the fifth-most in a single season in program history.  The team finished the season ranked 15th in the final Associated Press poll.

Iowa, which featured 12 transfers among its 14-player roster, won three NCAA Tournament games in 2026; by comparison, the program had combined for just four NCAA Tournament wins in the previous 24 seasons.

Senior guard Bennett Stirtz, who made the jump from Northwest Missouri State to Drake to Iowa City, was as good as advertised. Stirtz earned honorable mention All-America honors from The Associated Press and the USBWA, alongside first-team All-Big Ten honors from the media after averaging 19.8 points, 4.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds.  He played 40 or more minutes 17 times during the season and finished with a program record 1,396 minutes.

Stirtz elevated his game from a second-team All-MIAA selection at the Division II level to an All-American in the Big Ten.  He was the only player in the nation to record 730+ points, 160+ assists, 95+ rebounds, 90+ 3-pointers and 50+ steals, becoming one of just three Power Conference players all-time to post those single-season numbers.

Stirtz became the first Hawkeye with 700+ points, 100+ assists and 50+ steals in a season and just the third Hawkeye ever to score 700+ points.  His 734 total points were the fourth-most in a single season in Iowa history.

Stirtz was selected in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft with the 16th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.  He is the third point guard in Hawkeye history to be selected in the first round.

Stirtz was selected in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft with the 16th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.  He was the third Hawkeye point guard selected in the first round in program history.

Prior to coming to Iowa, Barnwell helped guide Texas Tech to the 2024 NCAA Tournament and a 23-win season during his first year on staff. The Red Raiders tied for third in the Big 12 standings and advanced to the semifinals of the 2024 Big 12 Championship. In his second season, Texas Tech advanced to the Elite Eight, finishing the year with a 28-9 overall record and a 15-5 mark in Big 12 play.

The Red Raiders were ranked 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. Along with the team's success in year two, Barnwell helped develop standout players JT Toppin, Darrion Williams and Chance McMillian, all of whom earned multiple postseason honors. Toppin was an All-American while being named the Big 12 Player of the Year, Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and a first-team All-Big 12 selection.

Before transitioning to the college ranks, Barnwell spent his final eight seasons leading the Sunrise Christian Elite team, compiling an incredible 178-28 record against top-tier basketball programs across the country. He led SCA to five consecutive GEICO Nationals and coached more than 75 NCAA Division I players while working with six future NBA players.

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

Barnwell initially began his tenure at SCA as the head coach of the post-grad basketball team, directing the program to a 41-13 record from 2012-15. He was named Midwest Prep Coach of the Year in 2015 and helped 13 players advance to NCAA Division I programs.

Barnwell also gained coaching experience within the Mokan Nike Elite program. He served as 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 launching 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 two daughters, Keylynn and Cana. owa

Career
2012-15	Head Coach Post Grad, Sunrise Christian Academy
2015-23	Head Coach Elite, Sunrise Christian Academy
2023-25	Assistant Coach, Texas Tech
2025-pres.	Assistant Coach, University of Iowa