Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina head women's basketball coach Jonathan Tsipis has added one additional assistant to his inaugural coaching staff ahead of the 2024-25 season, bringing in Darius Barksdale as an assistant coach. Barksdale and Tsipis overlapped one season at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis.
Both Barksdale and Tsipis served on the support staff for the Golden Eagles during the 2023-24 campaign. Marquette made program history with the two on staff, opening the season 12-0, and was able to boast about being one of only 10 teams in the nation to go undefeated in the nonconference slate.
"We are extremely excited to welcome Darius Barksdale to the Catamount women's basketball family. I had the privilege of working with Darius in 2023-24 at Marquette where I saw firsthand his work ethic, knowledge of the game, and his ability to relate to the players," said Tsipis of his latest hire. "As an assistant coach, Darius fits well with our staff and our collective efforts to invest in our Catamount student-athletes. He understands the commitment to build a championship-level program."
During his time as the Director of Video and Player Development in Milwaukee, Barksdale handled all of the program's video content needs, including opponent scouting and player development.
Prior to joining the Golden Eagles, Barksdale spent two seasons in Austin with the Texas Longhorns during the 2021-23 seasons. He was involved in nearly every aspect of the program, including on-campus recruiting, scouting, player development, and administrating the team's summer camps. During the 2022-23 season, the Longhorns took the Big 12 tournament title and ran to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.
A three-year men's basketball letter winner (2017-20) at Urbana University, Barksdale earned his bachelor's in sports management in 2020. Originally from Lexington, Ky., he appeared in 58 career games for the Blue Knights after playing one season (2016-17) at Oakland City University.
Barksdale completed his master's in communication, with an emphasis in sports communication, in 2023 and graduated cum laude.
Western Carolina women's basketball opens the 2024-25 season on Monday, Nov. 4, in the front end of a Catamount hoops doubleheader, hosting Warren Wilson College at 5 p.m. on Ingles Court in the Ramsey Center. WCU's two-game homestand to open the Tsipis Era in Cullowhee continues on Thurs., Nov. 7, against Campbell with a 6 p.m. start.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount women's basketball and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@catamounts, Catamountwbb).
