Valpo Basketball Welcomes Isaiah Barnes to Program
The Valparaiso University men’s basketball program and head coach Roger Powell Jr. have announced the signing of Isaiah Barnes (Chicago, Ill. / Simeon Career Academy [Tulsa/Michigan]), who will join the program as a redshirt senior transfer for the 2025-26 season.
Barnes started his collegiate career with two seasons at the University of Michigan in the Big Ten Conference before spending the last two seasons at the University of Tulsa in the American Athletic Conference.
“I’ve known Coach Powell for a while,” Barnes said. “He recruited me when he was at Gonzaga and was in my high school gym a lot, so that connection was already there. It made sense for him to be able to coach me. The first thing I always look at in the recruiting process is the coaching staff. The Valpo staff made me feel like family.”
Barnes redshirted as a freshman at Michigan in 2021-22, when he appeared in two games, including his collegiate debut on Nov. 11, 2021 against Arizona. He played in 15 games as a redshirt freshman in 2022-23 before going on to Tulsa, where he started all 31 games in 2023-24. He averaged 8.2 points per game in his first year with the Hurricane and scored in double figures on 14 occasions, boasting season highs of 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Barnes played in 26 games and made 23 starts at Tulsa in 2024-25, making 54 starts and 57 total appearances over two seasons with the Hurricane. He averaged 9.3 points per game this past season including a season-high of 22. He turned in 12 double-figure performances this year and 26 total over his two years in Tulsa.
“I’ve known Isaiah for a while,” Powell said. “He’s a high-level recruit for us at Valpo and has produced at the college level for two years now. He brings athleticism, size and versatility at the wing spot, something we’ve been lacking in recent years. We’re excited to add another Illinois native to our program.”
Barnes entered Michigan as a four-star recruit, rated No. 102 by Rivals and No. 110 by 247 Sports. He earned Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) All-State Class 4A honors in 2021 and Special Mention in 2020 while also garnering Chicago Sun-Times All-Area honors in 2021.
Barnes transferred to Simeon Career Academy for his final prep year in 2020-21 after playing two seasons at Oak Park and River Forest (2018-20) and one at Romeoville High School (2017-18). As a senior, he averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists per game before averaging 21 points, eight boards and five assists at River Forest during his junior campaign.
Barnes played on a Michigan team that went to the 2022 NCAA Tournament and the 2023 NIT.
“I’ve learned a lot during my journey,” Barnes said. “At Michigan, I was able to get a feel for being a pro by playing under Juwan (Howard). That was a great first stop for me, even though I didn’t play like I wanted to. I left for more opportunities at Tulsa, and I was a starter there for two years. That gave me the experience that I needed to get better. Valpo fans are getting someone who is going to play really hard and someone who is going to enjoy winning and doing whatever it takes to win.”
Barnes’ older brother Daniel played at Eastern Michigan (2008-09) and UIC (2010-13). Barnes attended games at Valpo to watch Daniel play in Valpo/UIC Horizon League matchups.
“I’ve learned a lot from Daniel,” Barnes said. “I’ve watched him play since I was a baby; we’re 13 years apart. I got to see a little bit of him in high school; I was always around in the facilities. I’ve been in the arena at Valpo and seen a lot of his games there. He’s taught me and been a great mentor for me. He played overseas for a while and I was able to continue to learn. He was a pro and that’s great leadership for me and great footsteps for me to follow behind.”
Barnes, who enjoys spending time with his dog in his spare time, is graduating from Tulsa with a degree in organizational study and will pursue a master’s degree at Valpo.
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