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“I had been thinking about this for quite a while and was pretty sure by about Christmas that this would be it for me, but it was never an easy decision to make. I have a lot of great memories and have coached a lot of great kids. Those are moments I’ll cherish forever.”

But Barnes will get to make plenty of new ones after deciding to accept the vacant Anamosa High School varsity baseball head coaching position.
“Coach Barnes will bring the same ‘class act’ to the baseball program that he had with the basketball program,” said Anamosa Athletics Director Derek Roberts. “The best interests of the kids always comes first and we will probably see a greater number of students involved this summer which is great to see, and we need in every program.”

While Barnes begins his tenure as Raider baseball coach, he leaves behind a basketball program highly regarded around the area.

After a 9-12 ledger on the hardcourt this past season and 8-8 mark in the Raiders’ first run at WaMaC Conference play, Barnes closes his memorable 13-year run with a 128-146 career record overall and 90-101 record in league play.
The run spanned stints in the Big Bend and Tri-Rivers Conferences before making the switch this season to the WaMaC.

“It’s been a joy to have been able to coach with Kevin Barnes for the last 13 years,” said longtime assistant Carl Achenbach who hasn’t decided yet if he’ll continue to coach. “He always wanted to win and worked hard preparing our teams giving them their best opportunity to defeat teams who were physically much better than we were.”

Many of Barnes’ former players agree the way he went about preparing for opponents made him a special coach.

“I always felt Coach Barnes was a player’s coach,” said former Raider superstar Dan Achenbach who earned all-state status twice (1997 and 1998) under Barnes’ guidance.

“He wasn’t just a coach, he was a teacher and a friend to all of us. We always knew we could talk to Coach Barnes about anything, not just basketball, but anything.”

Former Raider all-state superstar Austin Bildstein also credits Barnes for his success.

“He helped me a lot with my jump shot and made me the player I am today,” said Bildstein who led the Luther College men’s basketball team in scoring each of the past two seasons. “He was a teacher and a coach, but he had fun with us too. Those trips to Simpson during the summer are times I’ll never forget.”

A member of one of Barnes’ first teams also remembers the quality of basketball coaching he received at Anamosa.

“I loved the aggressive style he brought to the program,” said Jeff Beck, who played for Barnes during his first two winters in Anamosa. “I felt he always had the players’ best interests in mind but most of all, I felt he was a very good game plan coach. You don’t normally hear that about a basketball coach, but Coach Barnes always had us ready to play and with a precise game plan and objective.”

One of Barnes’ most memorable games came in 1998 as during a 13-8 season on the hardcourt and 10-4 Big Bend ledger, the Raiders entered a class 3A district final at Cedar Rapids Kennedy against No. 1 ranked Cedar Rapids Prairie.

“That game will be remembered for what we almost accomplished,” said Barnes. “We almost played a perfect game against a great team.”

The Raiders had the Hawks frustrated all game long and led in the final seconds before Prairie’s Josh Kimm drilled a ricochet 3-pointer to give his team the win. They eventually went on to win the 3A state title blowing out every opponent the rest of the way.

“That’s just one memory though, I’ve got lots more,” said Barnes. “Every season brought it’s fair share of memories I’ll never forget.”

Giving a state-ranked Cedar Rapids Regis team a battle to the wire at districts in 1996.

Bret McNamara’s game-winning 3-pointer against state-ranked Cascade in 1999.

Mike Truesdell’s winning lay-up against Maquoketa in 1997.

Zac Keeney standing at half-court with the basketball during a win against Monticello in 2000.

Joe Haefner and Tyler Ketelsen leading an improbable comeback from 10-points down against Marion in 2001.

Defeating state champion Western Dubuque in 2002 with senior dads sitting in the front row providing support.

Stuart Williams and Chris Etscheidt helping the Raiders to buzzer-beating win over CP-U in 2003.

The unbelievable comeback at Cascade in 2005 engineered by Alex Schultejans.

In 2006 Derek Hart’s game-winning buzzer-beater against North Linn that sent fans streaming onto the court along with an awesome effort against Cedar Rapids Xavier in a 3A district semi-final later that same season.

In 2007, a big win over a state-ranked Mount Vernon team that led to a sensational near comeback at DeWitt in districts.

“This past year I would have to say our win against a Marion team who had not lost to any 3A team all season and were undefeated in the league would be the highlight,” said Barnes. “To win a game like that against a team of that calibre and do it at their place says a lot about the quality of kids and basketball players we have on this team.”

But it wasn’t just the wins and basketball games his players remember.

“I liked the practices,” said three-year starter and all-state star Colten Kelly who led the Raiders in each of the last three seasons in scoring. “Coach Barnes helped me grow as a basketball player in many ways and I hope to take that knowledge with me to the next level wherever that may be.”

Star guard Tony Lueken, another three-year starter who graduates this spring, agrees with Kelly’s assessment.

“Coach Barnes is a great man,” he said. “He not only taught us the game of basketball, but he taught us to be tough mentally and instilled in every player the team-first mentality. I’ll miss all the fun we had at Simpson every summer too and the practices where I learned so much.”

Over the years, Barnes’ coaching staff has remained largely intact, another testament to his successful coaching methods.

“I will miss the kids the most,” said Barnes. “But a very, very close second will not being able to be with Coach Achenbach Coach Nietert and Coach Haefner,” said Barnes. “These guys have been with our program for a long, long time and have brought a lot to the table with not only their knowledge, but with their passion for the game of basketball.”

All three assistants had sons Barnes coached over the years in Dan Achenbach, Mike Nietert and Joe Haefner.

“These coaches have allowed me to enjoy what I did here for so long,” said Barnes who coached with Nietert at Central City before the two arrived in Anamosa. “Without them I probably wouldn’t have made it this long. But what I think I’ll miss most are the practices. We had to have games, but I lived for the practices. That and seeing the kids’ faces in the locker room after a big win. For me anyway, it just didn’t get any better than that.”