R-Jay Barsh is the head men’s basketball coach at Southeastern University. The 2017-18 season marks his sixth season at the helm of the Fire program. At the time of this episode being released, Barsh just won his 100th game moving the 7th ranked Fire program to 12-2 on the season.
In only his second season, he was a finalist for the Don Meyer National Coach of the Year Award as he guided the Fire to a 27-7 record and the program’s first-ever NAIA National Tournament appearance. Before coming to Southeastern, Barsh was the assistant coach at Tacoma Community College. While at Tacoma, he was considered one of the top recruiters on the West Coast and was even featured in The Bleacher Report for being a main catalyst for the Titans recruiting and developmental success. He also coached at Pugent Sound University, as well. Before he began his coaching career, he enjoyed a successful playing career at Tacoma Community College from 2001–2003. In his first season, he led the Titans to a NWAACC title and a 30–3 overall record. In 2003, Barsh was named Second Team All-Conference and found himself in a unique position, having won NWAACC titles as both a player (2002) and a coach (2012).
Off of the hardwood, Barsh has always felt the call of God on his life and has used basketball as the vehicle to deliver the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For over the past 10 years, he has been an integral part of Northwest Basketball Camps (NBC), which is a Christ-centered camp that utilizes basketball to impact the hearts and minds of young people through Jesus Christ. Through NBC, Barsh has led several camps around the world, including in Italy, the United Kingdom, and Alaska. He is also the founder of SkyMotivation, which is a ministry he uses to help young people grow in Christ. His website for the ministry has testimonies, devotionals, and even an area where viewers can ask questions about their faith.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
- How he defines and measures success as a college basketball coach
- What he is doing to help develop his players both on and off the court
- Advice he has for a coach (or leader) going through a losing streak
Larry DeSimpelare is the commissioner of the Crossroads League, which is arguably the best NAIA conference in the country when it comes to combining national-level competition and an emphasis on character-building. The Crossroads League has schools from the state of Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Before becoming a commissioner, Larry served as a collegiate men’s basketball coach at Cleveland State University, Rutgers University, Kent State University, Eastern Michigan University and Concordia University. Along the way, DeSimpelare helped guide those programs to three league titles, eight NIT berths and four NCAA bids, where he helped Eastern Michigan take out Duke and Cleveland State upend Wake Forest in a pair of opening round upsets.