FSU assistant coach R-Jay Barsh leaves for Gonzaga

Florida State men’s basketball assistant coach R-Jay Barsh is leaving or a similar position with the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

The news was first reported by Noles247 and Cadwell Zag Recruiting News, who identified Barsh as a replacement for new Valparaiso Basketball head coach Roger Powell Jr.

Barsh, who joined the Seminoles last year and has more than 15 years of coaching experience, also spent three years as an assistant with the Boise State Broncos and seven as the head coach at NAIA Division II Southeastern University in Lakeland.

He was hired after the departure of Charlton “CY” Young to the Missouri Tigers to join former FSU assistant Dennis Gates.

After SEU and FSU faced off in a preseason exhibition game, Barsh developed a relationship with Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton — who ended up helping get him his gig with Boise State.

He also helped train and mentor former Seminoles hooper and NBA player Dwyane Bacon.

Barnes, originally from Tacoma, is a Washington native, which is where he began his career:

Barsh helped lead Tacoma Community College to three Western Region titles in four seasons and an NWAACC championship in 2012. The Titans also made the Elite 8 in the NWAACC Tournament in 2009. Prior to TCC, he spent one season at Lincoln High School (Tacoma), where he helped guide the school to the state’s Final Four and a record of 26-5.

Barsh also served as an assistant coach at the University of Puget Sound, his alma mater, from 2005-07. In his first season with the Loggers, the program finished with a 26-5 mark and a NCAA D-III Elite Eight appearance.

Barsh played collegiately for TCC from 2001-03, where he helped lead the Titans to a record of 30-3 and an NWAACC title (2001-02). He was an all-conference honoree the following season.

Tomahawk Nation will continue to report on this developing story.