SIUE’s Family First Mentality

Find a Way Family

(Wichita, KS) – Southern Illinois Edwardsville coach Brian Barone is a unique ‘family first’ kind of coach. While talking about a family mentality among basketball teams is extremely common, Barone lives it with authenticity.

His ‘find a way – family’ (#FAWF) isn’t a catch phrase, it is built into the fabric of who he is and what he’s building in Edwardsville, Illinois. Coming from a coaching family, has rooted this passion deep in his personal DNA.

Father, Tony Barone believed in building relationships with his teams and staff members, but also with other coaches and players. Brian is a lot like his father. During our recent interview, he spoke about his relationship with Thursday’s opposing coach Kelvin Sampson.

Coach Sampson says he and the senior Barone were good friends and the younger Barone is close to his son, Kellen.

“Tony was a character, excellent coach, but really good for the game I thought,” said Sampson. “Brian was just a tough, hard-nosed, scrappy winner. He did all the things you would want a point guard to do. So, Tony and I became good friends. Then when I was in the NBA for those years, he was with the Memphis Grizzlies. I think we got to be closer after that. Brian and my son, Kellen, are really good friends. I know he’s visited with us on different occasions. I’m just thrilled for him.”

Barone is grateful for his relationship with Sampson.

“On a personal level, it’s kind of cool to coach against somebody and be on the same sideline that my dad coached against,” said Barone. “He’s always been great to me. When I was up at Green Bay, he was at Milwaukee. Kellen and I have gotten closer over these last few years as well. I just really respect their family so much. They’ve helped a lot. We’ve talked a lot about culture, a lot about program, a lot about defense in the offseason, and it’s just kind of ironic how now we’re here going against one another.”

Family First at SIUE

The SIUE shooting shirt says ‘put family into basketball’ on the back and the hand-written signatures of everyone that has helped build the SIUE program during Barone’s six seasons in the OVC are on the front.

Barone is emotionally connected to each name on that shirt.

“This represents everyone in our program. Every player, from our academic advisor, training staff, just everyone that’s kind of in our travel party,” said Barone. “We always want to put family into basketball, don’t take family away from basketball. It’s their handwriting of everyone who got them to this point. Every person who sacrificed for somebody on our team to have an opportunity to do what we love to do. Like my wife and kids, my brother, sister, Mom and Dad are on this shirt. We get to know who is on this shirt from the team. We put it on the front of the shirt because we want to be in the huddle and we want all those people who are with us this whole path, this whole journey to be in there in those late-game situations.”

Ray’Sean Taylor’s View

During this ‘portal pandemic’ era of college basketball, SIUE star Ray’Sean Taylor has stayed and played all four seasons with Barone and the Cougars.

Why did he stay?

“Just my coach always believed in me even when I was at some of my lowest points with the stuff I’ve been through, but I just felt like I had to repay him in that aspect,” said Taylor. “He was loyal to me, so why not be loyal to him?

Taylor sounds like his coach when talking about the culture at SIUE.

“We’re family oriented. That’s something Coach Barone always wants to make his program about,” echoed Taylor. “It’s something we did a good job of making sure we do.”

Sampson noticed the relationship between Barone and Taylor and the OVC Player of the Year’s perseverance through multiple knee injuries.

“I think his story is what’s special about him, overcoming two ACL surgeries and the relationship between the coach and the player,” said Sampson.”People on the outside looking in have no idea what the coach and the players go through when nobody else is around, but for Brian to have that relationship with him and for Ray’Sean to show loyalty and commitment to SIUE and to Brian and his staff tells you a lot about that young man.”

And a lot about the family first mentality of Brian Barone and SIUE.

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