Luke Barnwell - Men's Basketball Coach

Luke Barnwell

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
luke.barnwell@ttu.edu

Luke Barnwell has helped lead Texas Tech to a 51-20 record and two trips to the NCAA Tournament as an assistant coach for Grant McCasland. Barnwell and the Red Raiders advanced to the Elite 8 in his second season, finishing the year with a 28-9 overall record along with going 15-5 in Big 12 play. The team was in the AP Top 10 for the final five weeks of the season and finished the year with the third most wins in program history.

Barnwell joined McCasland's staff after recording an impressive 224-39 record in 10 seasons at Sunrise Christian Academy. He was named the 2021 and 2022 Naismith High School Boys Coach of the Year and led Sunrise Christian to the 2022 National Interscholastic Basketball Conference Championship.

Barnwell helped to lead the Red Raiders to the 2024 NCAA Tournament and a 23-win season in his first year. Tech finished tied for third in the Big 12 standings and advanced to the semifinals of the 2024 Big 12 Championship. Along with team success in his second season, Barnwell helped develop JT Toppin, Darrion Williams and Chance McMillian who each received multiple 2024-25 postseason honors. Toppin earned all-America honors along with being named the Big 12 Player of the Year, Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and to the All-Big 12 First Team. Williams earned All-Big 12 First Team and McMillian was a second team selection. The team was dynamic throughout the season, establishing a new program record with 371 made 3-pointers and averaging 80.9 points per game while limiting opponents to only 68.5. Tech went 15-3 on its home court during the season and set program record with an 8-2 road record.

He had spent the last eight seasons leading the Sunrise Christian Elite team where he compiled a 178-28 record competing against the elite basketball programs in the nation. Barnwell led SCA to five consecutive GEICO Nationals and has coached over 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.

“Coach Barnwell has great head coaching experience and has recruited and coached some of the best players around the world,” McCasland said. “He’s got great basketball feel but his ability to relate to players is what separates him. We are thrilled to have him part of our coaching staff.”

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 would help 13 players advance to NCAA Division I programs.

Additionally, 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.

An Emporia, Kansas native, Barnwell played college basketball at Newman University and Emporia State before beginning his coaching career as a student assistant. He graduated from Newman University with a bachelor’s in Sports Communications with an emphasis in coaching.