<div class="cxArticleHeader"><h1 class="articleHeadline">GSU fires Barnes before fourth season ends</h1>
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By Ken Sugiura
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Rod Barnes said he thought it would take five years for Georgia
State's basketball team to become competitive. He fell a year short.</p><div id="cxLeftRail" class="leftFloat"><div><div class="cxElementEnlarge">
Enlarge photo
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</div><span class="imageCredit rightFloat">Jason Getz, [email protected]</span><span class="imageCaption leftFloat">
This season, Rod Barnes' Panthers finished 11-18 overall and 6-12 in the
Colonial Athletic Association. GSU fired Barnes (right) Feb. 27, 2011.
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Latest Ga. State sports news»
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Athletic director Cheryl Levick fired him on Sunday with his fourth
season winding down, one day after the regular season ended with a home
loss to George Mason.</p>
"The win-loss record simply does not reflect where we want to be for
Georgia State men’s basketball," Levick said in a statement. "We felt it
was in the best interest of the program to make this change now and
begin moving forward immediately."</p>
Barnes could not be reached for comment on Sunday.</p>
This season, the Panthers finished 11-18 overall and 6-12 in the Colonial Athletic Association, leaving them tied for ninth.</p>
Levick denied Barnes the chance to finish the season and coach in the
Colonial Athletic Association tournament, which begins Friday in
Richmond, Va. Barnes had one year remaining on his contract, which was
bought out for about $267,000. Assistant Paul Graham, formerly a head
coach at Washington State, has been named the interim coach.</p>
Barnes, hired in 2007 after an eight-season run at Mississippi, in
which he was named the Naismith national coach of the year in 2001, took
over a program rampant with academic problems in addition to a poor
basketball record. Barnes cleaned up the team's classroom issues. Of
Barnes' players, ever senior had graduated. However, Georgia State did
not make a significant improvement on the court.</p>
This season, Barnes returned one starter and no players who had
averaged more than 5.4 points last season. The Panthers were picked to
finish 11th in the league. They lost their last four games, and 12 of
their last 15. In Barnes' four seasons, Georgia State finished 10th,
eighth, ninth and ninth in the CAA.</p>
Last week, Barnes said he knew success "would not happen overnight.
But I'm excited because I know what we've done here and I know we're
going to win."</p>
The scant support his team received did not help Barnes. In Barnes'
four years, Georgia State never averaged 1,500 fans and attendance
dropped to 915 this season, the lowest in the conference and among the
poorest in Division I.</p></div></div>
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</div><p class="byline">
By Ken Sugiura
</p><p class="organization">
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
</p>
Rod Barnes said he thought it would take five years for Georgia
State's basketball team to become competitive. He fell a year short.</p><div id="cxLeftRail" class="leftFloat"><div><div class="cxElementEnlarge">
Enlarge photo
</div><div class="cxElementGraphic">
</div><span class="imageCredit rightFloat">Jason Getz, [email protected]</span><span class="imageCaption leftFloat">
This season, Rod Barnes' Panthers finished 11-18 overall and 6-12 in the
Colonial Athletic Association. GSU fired Barnes (right) Feb. 27, 2011.
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Athletic director Cheryl Levick fired him on Sunday with his fourth
season winding down, one day after the regular season ended with a home
loss to George Mason.</p>
"The win-loss record simply does not reflect where we want to be for
Georgia State men’s basketball," Levick said in a statement. "We felt it
was in the best interest of the program to make this change now and
begin moving forward immediately."</p>
Barnes could not be reached for comment on Sunday.</p>
This season, the Panthers finished 11-18 overall and 6-12 in the Colonial Athletic Association, leaving them tied for ninth.</p>
Levick denied Barnes the chance to finish the season and coach in the
Colonial Athletic Association tournament, which begins Friday in
Richmond, Va. Barnes had one year remaining on his contract, which was
bought out for about $267,000. Assistant Paul Graham, formerly a head
coach at Washington State, has been named the interim coach.</p>
Barnes, hired in 2007 after an eight-season run at Mississippi, in
which he was named the Naismith national coach of the year in 2001, took
over a program rampant with academic problems in addition to a poor
basketball record. Barnes cleaned up the team's classroom issues. Of
Barnes' players, ever senior had graduated. However, Georgia State did
not make a significant improvement on the court.</p>
This season, Barnes returned one starter and no players who had
averaged more than 5.4 points last season. The Panthers were picked to
finish 11th in the league. They lost their last four games, and 12 of
their last 15. In Barnes' four seasons, Georgia State finished 10th,
eighth, ninth and ninth in the CAA.</p>
Last week, Barnes said he knew success "would not happen overnight.
But I'm excited because I know what we've done here and I know we're
going to win."</p>
The scant support his team received did not help Barnes. In Barnes'
four years, Georgia State never averaged 1,500 fans and attendance
dropped to 915 this season, the lowest in the conference and among the
poorest in Division I.</p></div></div>