University of Tennessee Athletics
Caldwell Adds Assistant Lexie Barrier
May 23, 2024 | Women's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. --Â First-year Tennessee women's basketball head coach Kim Caldwell has announced the addition of a fifth assistant coach, welcoming former James Madison University assistant Lexie Barrier to the program.
Â
Barrier joins fellow aides Roman Tubner, Gabe Lazo, Jenna Burdette and Angel Rizor as well as director of women's basketball sports performance Nolan Harvath as hires by Caldwell since she arrived at UT.
Â
"I'm excited to welcome Lexie to our staff," Caldwell said. "She is an up-and-coming coach who is hungry, has great energy and likes to recruit. I've known her for some time. She was a good player whose career I have followed, and I'm so excited to have her here and welcome her to the Lady Vol family."
Â
Barrier makes the move to Knoxville after spending the past two seasons as an assistant at her alma mater. She helped JMU to a pair of 23+ win seasons, forging a 49-20 overall record and 26-10 mark in the Sun Belt Conference during that time. The program tied for the SBC regular season crown and won the tournament title in 2022-23, earning an NCAA Tournament berth. In 2023-24, the Dukes fell to Caldwell's Marshall squad in the SBC Tournament Championship Game before earning a bid to the first-ever NCAA-sanctioned Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.
Â
Prior to her move back to Harrisonburg, Barrier spent a year at Marshall, working alongside Burdette during the 2021-22 campaign. During her time with the Thundering Herd, Barrier acted as the recruiting coordinator, assisted in player development and served as the academic liaison for players, helping guide the team to a 3.5 overall GPA.
Before her stint at Marshall, Barrier served as a graduate manager at NC State during the 2020-21 season, earning an MBA in adult and continuing professional education from the school in 2021. The Wolfpack ranked seventh nationally in the final USA Today Coaches Poll to end the year in the top 10 for the third-straight season.
Â
As a player at JMU, Barrier started 96 of 127 games played, racking up 1,216 career points and collecting All-Colonial Athletic Association Second Team honors in 2017-18 and 2018-19 as well as a spot on the CAA All-Rookie squad following the 2016-17 season. The Ironton, Ohio, native graduated from JMU in May 2020 with a bachelor's degree in sport & recreation management.
Â
Other Staff Updates
Â
Caldwell shared that several support staff members are continuing their responsibilities within the basketball office. That list includes Catherine Greene, executive director of basketball operations/chief of staff; Heather Ervin, director of student-athlete success & external relations; Josh Theis, director of video and creative content; and Haley Hall, program coordinator.
Â
Dillon Carson also returns as a graduate assistant, while former Marshall staff member Mashayla Cecil assumes the other G.A. position after P'hariz Watkins concludes his stint in that role.
Â
Â
Â
Barrier joins fellow aides Roman Tubner, Gabe Lazo, Jenna Burdette and Angel Rizor as well as director of women's basketball sports performance Nolan Harvath as hires by Caldwell since she arrived at UT.
Â
"I'm excited to welcome Lexie to our staff," Caldwell said. "She is an up-and-coming coach who is hungry, has great energy and likes to recruit. I've known her for some time. She was a good player whose career I have followed, and I'm so excited to have her here and welcome her to the Lady Vol family."
Â
Barrier makes the move to Knoxville after spending the past two seasons as an assistant at her alma mater. She helped JMU to a pair of 23+ win seasons, forging a 49-20 overall record and 26-10 mark in the Sun Belt Conference during that time. The program tied for the SBC regular season crown and won the tournament title in 2022-23, earning an NCAA Tournament berth. In 2023-24, the Dukes fell to Caldwell's Marshall squad in the SBC Tournament Championship Game before earning a bid to the first-ever NCAA-sanctioned Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.
Â
Prior to her move back to Harrisonburg, Barrier spent a year at Marshall, working alongside Burdette during the 2021-22 campaign. During her time with the Thundering Herd, Barrier acted as the recruiting coordinator, assisted in player development and served as the academic liaison for players, helping guide the team to a 3.5 overall GPA.
Before her stint at Marshall, Barrier served as a graduate manager at NC State during the 2020-21 season, earning an MBA in adult and continuing professional education from the school in 2021. The Wolfpack ranked seventh nationally in the final USA Today Coaches Poll to end the year in the top 10 for the third-straight season.
Â
As a player at JMU, Barrier started 96 of 127 games played, racking up 1,216 career points and collecting All-Colonial Athletic Association Second Team honors in 2017-18 and 2018-19 as well as a spot on the CAA All-Rookie squad following the 2016-17 season. The Ironton, Ohio, native graduated from JMU in May 2020 with a bachelor's degree in sport & recreation management.
Â
Other Staff Updates
Â
Caldwell shared that several support staff members are continuing their responsibilities within the basketball office. That list includes Catherine Greene, executive director of basketball operations/chief of staff; Heather Ervin, director of student-athlete success & external relations; Josh Theis, director of video and creative content; and Haley Hall, program coordinator.
Â
Dillon Carson also returns as a graduate assistant, while former Marshall staff member Mashayla Cecil assumes the other G.A. position after P'hariz Watkins concludes his stint in that role.
Â
Â
Tuesday, May 19
Wednesday, May 13
Friday, March 20
Friday, March 20
