Roughly 15 minutes before his team’s graduating seniors presented their capstone projects focused on sustainable business, alumnus Anthony Barringer became the Warren Wilson College Owls’ head men’s basketball coach. While his leadership during the 2015-16 storybook season was never in question, Barringer was the Owls’ interim coach until Tuesday.
Barringer’s appointment was one of serendipity. In July, then-Coach William Monts took a position with Western Kentucky University. In need of a coach, the College turned to Barringer.
The starting point guard and team captain in 2013, Barringer helped the Owls capture the USCAA Basketball National Championship. A few of his teammates during that historic moment are some of the same seniors who played for him this year.
“From day one, it’s been about the guys,” Barringer said. “That’s the reason I wanted to come in as an interim, and it’s the reason I wanted to stay.”
While the move to head coach was quick, Barringer was prepared. He worked alongside Monts for the previous two seasons as an assistant coach and helped recruit the entire squad.
A former teammate becoming head coach is not always the case in college basketball, but the players took the idea. “You [have] got to find the separation between coach and friend, but we always joke around with it and make the best of the opportunity,” Justin Gonyea, a senior and Barringer’s former teammate, told WLOS-TV’s Luke Notestine in March 2016.
Barringer’s interim role became an extended job interview that saw the Owls capture 18 victories, including two over rival Montreat. At tournament time, the team received the highest seeding (No. 4) in the College’s history.
“I didn’t put pressure on myself as people would for an interview,” said Barringer, who will also serve as sports information director. “At the end of the day, it was more so about getting the wins and getting the team to the tournament.”
In a year where fans and the media were interested in the “former player coaching teammates” storyline, Barringer was focused on winning another championship. However, in the semifinals, the Owls lost to eventual USCAA champion Berkeley College of New York.
“My initial thoughts were failure,” Barringer said. “We did all these great things, but we didn’t accomplish our goal of winning the national championship. I’m not big on moral victories.”
With time, Barringer says the semifinal loss taught him a lesson.
“Looking back on it now, it was a phenomenal season,” he said. “I learned a ton. From the final game, in particular, I learned we can’t deviate from who we are depending on who we play. We schemed out something, particularly for Berkeley. It worked for a little while, but we needed to move away from it sooner than we did.”
Armed with experience and a winning record following his first season as a head coach, Barringer is excited about the future.
“In a perfect world, I will retire here. I have a ton of connections here, and I can recruit. As long as I can recruit, I wouldn’t have any reason to go anywhere else.”
Following the USCAA tournament, Barringer got married. He says his wife, Elizabeth (Liz), a nurse in Asheville, played a role in helping him decide his future.
“It’s something that Liz and I prayed about,” he said. “I’m just grateful that God provided this opportunity for me. Being in a place that I’ve been in the classroom, been in the dorm and now I can be in the office as the head coach, it’s cool. It’s really cool, and I’m thankful for it.”
It’s a feeling echoed by Warren Wilson College.
“After a great season as interim head coach, Anthony Barringer has been offered the full-time job as head coach and sports information director,” Director of Athletics Stacey Enos wrote in a letter to campus. “His experience and love for his alma mater paid dividends when the coaching job became vacant last summer. … Anthony worked hard for this opportunity, and I am pleased to call him officially our head coach.”
