Justin Furr returns to Barry University as the head men’s basketball coach after spending the last seven seasons as an NCAA Division I assistant at Florida Gulf Coast and Indiana State, director of athletics Dr. Scott Smith announced today.
“This is an exciting day for the BarryU men’s basketball program,” Smith said. “Justin was a huge part of our earlier success and has gained an unbelievable amount of experience at the D1 level these past seven years. That experience, combined with his love for Barry University, makes him an excellent choice for our program. He fully understands what Barry University is about and what it takes to win in the SSC [Sunshine State Conference]. I look forward to helping him reconnect with our alumni, the local community, and our fans.”
In three seasons in Terre Haute, Furr helped lead the Sycamores to a 69-38 record, including a 38-22 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. In 2023-24, Furr helped lead the team to its best season in 44 years, going 32-7 and reaching the finals of the NIT.
In Furr’s five seasons at Barry, the Buccaneers made the NCAA Tournament each year, winning at least one game four times and advancing to the Elite Eight twice. Furr assisted Barry to an impressive 116-38 record (.753), including three-straight Sunshine State Conference championships.
In his final season with Barry, Furr helped guide the Buccaneers to a 23-9 record, advancing to the Elite Eight of the D-II NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years. In addition, Barry defeated Auburn – which won the SEC Regular Season Championship – in an exhibition contest to open the year.
In addition to those stops, he has also worked with the programs at Lynn, Newberry, UNC-Wilmington, High Point, St. Andrews Presbyterian, Wingate and Pfeiffer as an assistant coach.
A tireless recruiter, Furr has been instrumental in bringing some of the best players in school history into his programs, including Barry’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder Yunio Barrueta and two-time conference player of the year Elvar Fridriksson.
“I want to thank Dr. Mike Allen, Dr. Scott Smith, and Senior Associate Athletic Director Jamie Carrig for giving my family and I the opportunity to return to Barry University and Miami Shores. My five years at Barry with Coach Estes were some of the most memorable of my career. The academic and athletic excellence at Barry is second to none. Dr. Smith and I have an aligned vision for the future of BarryU Basketball. We look forward to building a program that players will want to be a part of and playing a style of basketball that will make the the university, Miami Shores, and South Florida community proud.”
The native of Stanfield, N.C., played collegiately at Wingate, receiving his bachelor’s degree in sports management in 1999. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two sons, Ezra and Caden.
