Bethel University (TN)

Kyler Barnes — Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach 
B.S., Bethel University, 2020

Kyler Barnes serves as an assistant coach with the Bethel University men’s basketball program, contributing to player development and overseeing the Wildcats’ strength and conditioning program.

Barnes began his coaching career with the Missouri Mavericks 14U team before joining the staff at Murray High School under head coach Tom Foust. As a varsity assistant and junior varsity head coach, Barnes helped guide Murray to an All “A” runner-up finish in 2023. The team also ranked among Kentucky’s top 10 in defensive percentage that season.

A native of Cooter, Missouri, Barnes played basketball at Cooter High School under David Mathis from 2012 to 2016. He also played baseball and was a member of the school’s only state championship baseball team.

Barnes continued his basketball career at Hannibal-LaGrange University in Hannibal, Missouri, during the 2016–17 season before transferring to Bethel in 2017. He spent three years with the Wildcats’ developmental team and earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science with an emphasis in human health and performance in 2020.

Under head coach Jeff Britt, Barnes directs the Wildcats’ offseason, in-season and postseason strength and conditioning programs. He takes pride in helping student-athletes build strength, improve performance and develop habits that translate from the weight room to the court.

Barnes helped Bethel finish 19–13 and earn its first national tournament appearance since the 2018–19 season. During the 2025–26 campaign, he also helped guide the Wildcats to their first Mid-South Conference Tournament championship game, where they fell to eventual national champion Freed-Hardeman.

Barnes is the son of Melissa and Andrew Barnes. He has a brother, Luke Barnes, and a sister, Madison Buchanan, who is married to Hunter Buchanan. He resides in Paris, Tennessee.