Now in her third season as an assistant coach with the Broncs, Rashana Barnes’ main responsibility is working with the post players including Sarah Homan who earned MAAC All-Rookie honors in 2008-09.
“Rashana worked very well with a relatively inexperienced group in 2007-08 and the strides the team took last season are proof of her hard work and dedication,” said head coach Lynn Milligan. “Our players have improved immeasurably due to her efforts.”
A 2002 graduate of Penn State University, Barnes came to Rider from Loyola University Chicago where she served two years as an assistant coach.
“The players know what to expect from Coach Barnes,” Milligan added. “She has a great rapport and has allowed the players to grow into their roles. She has a way of making things ‘click’ for the players when she is teaching them. I trust her and the players trust her as well.”
At Loyola, Barnes was primarily responsible for the Ramblers’ post players in addition to recruiting and game preparation responsibilities.
Barnes also served for two seasons as the director of basketball operations at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pa.
A four-year letter winner at Penn State, Barnes broke the Nittany Lions’ 17-year freshman record for blocked shots and earned the Unsung Hero award as a sophomore when PSU reached the 2000 NCAA Final Four in Philadelphia. Barnes was named All-Big Ten her junior and senior years, ending her career third on the PSU all-time blocked shots list (189) while becoming just the 11th Nittany Lion to record 1,000 points and 700 rebounds in a career. The Los Angeles Sparks made her their third-round selection (48th overall) in the 2002 WNBA Draft. Barnes is a 1998 graduate of West Catholic High School in Philadelphia and currently resides in West Trenton, N.J.
