Coach Barnes' Philosophy

Brian Barnes entered his first year as Head Men’s Basketball Coach and Assistant Athletic Director for Sage College of Albany in 2008-2009. He returns this year ready for the Gators to commence their first varsity campaign in 2009-2010.

Prior to his arrival at Sage, Barnes spent three seasons at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as the top Varsity Assistant and Head Junior Varsity Men’s Basketball Coach.

During his tenure at Rensselaer, Coach Barnes assisted in the development of three all league players including the Liberty League player of the year in 2006. Barnes was the lead assistant on staff of the 2006-2007 Red Hawk team that received the Schoenfeld Sportsmanship Award for outstanding sportsmanship.

Rensselaer further utilized Barnes’ recruiting skills in adding him as a part-time Admissions Counselor in the spring of 2007. Barnes contributed to an Admissions staff that recorded the highest number of applications in school history the following spring.

Prior to Rensselaer, Brian worked as the Director of Basketball Operations at the University at Albany. He helped build the UAlbany Basketball program into an America East power, overseeing day to day operations, supervising team managers, organizing campus visits and managing the recruiting database.

Brian also served as the summer camp director for the UAlbany Boy’s Basketball camp, tripling the camp enrollment in just two summers. He has traveled around the country to coach and lecture at prestigious basketball camps such as Eastern Invitational and Five-Star Basketball Camp.

Barnes played four years of Division I basketball for the University at Albany and was named a tri-captain his senior season. He graduated Cum Laude from UAlbany in 2003 with a BA in Communications and went on to receive an MS in Educational Administration from UAlbany in 2005.

Michael Foust enters his second year as an Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at The Sage Colleges.

Prior to his arrival at Sage, Foust spent two seasons as an assistant Men's Basketball Coach for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. While at RPI, he assisted with both the varsity and junior varsity teams. Michael was an integral part of both coaching staffs and was Coach Barnes’ right hand man on the Junior Varsity level. Known for his passion and enthusiasm on the court, Coach Foust will certainly contribute to the highly energized Gator coaching staff.

Coming from a family rich in basketball tradition, Michael has been a student of the game his entire life. Familiar with the Capital Region basketball landscape, both scholastically as well as with AAU, Michael was the head coach of the Arsenal City 17-Under AAU team for the past two years.

Michael is currently a seventh grade English teacher at Watervliet Jr./Sr. High School, and is pursuing a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from the College of St. Rose. He is a 2003 graduate of St. Michael's College in Vermont.

Coach Barnes on Michael Foust: “Coach Foust is a lifelong basketball enthusiast and student of the game who brings the energy and passion that will help us out a great deal on the recruiting trail.”