John Barnes has chosen to step down after 10 seasons serving as the head coach of the Youngstown State women’s basketball program. Barnes had been on leave to focus on personal family matters since Oct. 2, 2023, and he submitted his letter of resignation on Friday, January 19. John Nicolais, who has been the program’s acting head coach since Barnes went on leave, will now serve as interim head coach.

“After much thought and with a mix of emotions, I am stepping down from my role as Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Youngstown State,” Barnes said. “I am grateful for the unwavering support of the YSU community and the Mahoning Valley. The players, coaches, and fans will forever be in my heart and made this an extremely difficult decision. I can’t thank Director of Athletics Ron Strollo enough for all his support over the last decade. I will treasure all the memories I’ve made over the last 10 years and never forget what we have accomplished together. Penguin pride will always run through my blood! Thank you, Youngstown Nation, for allowing me to be a part of something truly special.”

“I want to sincerely thank Coach Barnes for leading our women’s basketball program to a level of consistent competitiveness within the Horizon League and in our region over the last decade,” YSU Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Ron Strollo said. “When he took over, our program was still in the rebuilding phase to try and replicate the tremendous success of the 1990s. Under Coach Barnes’ leadership, our team reached the postseason five times and won its first regular-season conference championship in more than 20 years. He absolutely left the program in a better place than when he arrived 10 years ago. John is a friend to many, both in our department and within the Youngstown community, and we wish him well as he moves on from his time as a Penguin.”

Barnes won 170 games as Youngstown State’s head coach, and his tenure was highlighted by a Horizon League Regular Season Championship in 2021-22. The Penguins went 24-7 overall and 18-4 in conference play that season, and Barnes was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year. Youngstown State made its third appearance in the Women’s NIT under Barnes in 2021-22, following up WNIT appearances in 2014-15 and 2018-19 and Women’s Basketball Invitational berths in 2015-16 and 2017-18. Barnes leaves YSU ranking second in program history with 170 wins behind the legendary Ed DiGregorio, and his .567 winning percentage ranks third.

Barnes coached some of the best players in program history during his decade as a Penguin. Posts Heidi Schlegel and Lilly Ritz were two-time All-Horizon League First Team honorees, and Ritz is the only YSU player to be named a conference Defensive Player of the Year. He coached six 1,000-point scorers, and Ritz (field-goal percentage), Schlegel (free throws made), Alison Smolinski (3-pointers made), Indiya Benjamin (assists), and Chelsea Olson (games, starts, and minutes) hold career records at YSU. In total, his Penguins were named first-team all-conference six times, second-team six times, and third-team three times.

As successful as the Penguins were on the court under Barnes, they were outstanding in the classroom. YSU appeared on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll nine times in his 10 seasons, and they ranked in the top 10 five times.

Barnes leaves behind a thriving program ready to compete for the remainder of 2023-24 and beyond. The Penguins have six fifth-year seniors and two fourth-year seniors on this year’s squad, and the coaching staff is thrilled with the seven signees it has in the 2024 class. Youngstown State annually ranks second in the conference in average attendance with a passionate fan base, and its average of 1,624 in 2022-23 was the highest in six years and higher than seven of the eight Division I schools within a two-and-a-half hour radius of campus. Beeghly Center is on track to receive several notable upgrades starting in May to add to an already impressive facility filled with support areas for student-athlete success. Further, the program’s student-athletes have been recognized by Opendorse for its NIL activity both locally and nationally.

Before coming to Youngstown State, Barnes served as the associate head coach at Green Bay under current Phoenix coach Kevin Borseth. Barnes also coached with Borseth at Michigan in 2011-12, and Barnes spent a season as an assistant at Wisconsin. Before joining the Badgers’ staff, Barnes spent seven seasons leading one of the top Division II programs in the country at Michigan Tech, his alma mater. The Huskies went 156-55 in his seven campaigns, qualified for the NCAA Tournament five times, and won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament three times.