BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — CSUB athletic department has lost another coach on Wednesday. Rod Barnes a 14-year basketball head coach stepped down for unknown reasons. Members of CSUB staff have yet to comment why...
More changes are happening at the Cal State Bakersfield athletic department. This time, long-time men's basketball coach Rod Barnes is stepping down. But other coaches have left without any explanation from the administration. I went to the campus and tried to find answers, and this is what I found.
The CSUB athletic department has been in the spotlight for months, and under questionable circumstances. This year alone, three coaches and the athletic director have left.
On Wednesday, CSUB announced that its long-time men's basketball coach, Rod Barnes, was "ending his tenure" with CSUB after a successful 14 seasons with the Road Runners. Barnes led the runners to multiple postseason appearances over his time as head coach. He helped the Runners reach their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2016.
No reason, however, was given why Barnes is stepping down.
Earlier this month, assistant basketball coach Kevin Mays was arrested and faces felony criminal charges of pimping, pandering, and being in possession of child pornography. He is currently on leave from CSUB.
Also stepping down this month was Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics Kyle Conder. But CSUB administration has never said why Conder left his post.
Lastly, in June, Chris Hansen, the director of swimming and diving at Cal State Bakersfield, also left. The university said Hansen was retiring.
Up to now, CSUB administration has remained silent on why Conder and Barnes stepped down, and also what may have led to Hansen's retirement. I went looking for answers at Cal State.
While I was on campus, I visited the Icardo Center, the President's Office, and tried to reach out to some members in the athletic department. The majority of the answers I was getting were no comment or we can't speak on it at the moment.
I spoke to an administrator on campus, and they told me "Barnes left on his own time". We tried to reach out to Barnes before news time, but weren't able to get to him for a response. This has been a big shock to many community members and students, especially with basketball season around the corner.
The Men's basketball season begins at Cal Berkeley on November 3rd.
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