A Valparaiso University men’s basketball legend is back in the Athletics-Recreation Center.

Over two decades after wrapping up his storied career donning the brown and gold, Lubos Barton is set to impact a new generation of Valpo men’s basketball student-athletes as the former professional basketball standout has returned to his alma mater as the newest addition to head coach Roger Powell Jr.’s staff. Barton will serve as Director of Recruiting and Player Development.

“Lubos has an excellent basketball pedigree,” Powell said. “It’s always good to have a Valpo great come back and work with the program. He has outstanding experience having coached professionally overseas. I’m really excited about his ability to help develop the players individually, which is a big part of the foundation of our program, enhancing the student-athlete experience. We’re adding another high-level professional athlete to our staff.”

After retiring from his professional playing career, Barton stayed in the game of basketball as he began coaching in 2016. He started in Spain and soon joined the coaching staff for the Czech Republic national team. He has coached FC Barcelona junior teams and was the head coach of the Czech Republic Under 18 team for four years. Last summer, he was also an assistant coach for the Czech Republic senior national team. This summer, he went to China for the University games with the U23 team. Other stops during his journey include EuroproBasket Girona, Basketball Brno – Next Generation and ACB in Spain.

In 2019, he accepted a position on the coaching staff at Baylor, and was part of head coach Scott Drew’s staff in early 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic put his NCAA coaching desires on pause. Three years later, another NCAA opportunity has led Barton back to the United States, this time at a very familiar institution.  

“Coaching college basketball is something that I’ve always wanted to do,” Barton said. “Having this great opportunity to come back to this place where I played college basketball is super exciting. This is the best place for me to start my college coaching career.”

Barton, part of the Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2017, was a standout on the court from 1998-2002, leading the team to three Mid-Continent Conference regular season titles, three conference tournament championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances. He was named the Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year as a senior in 2002 while also earning Honorable Mention All-American honors from the Associated Press. The conference’s Newcomer of the Year in 1999 as a freshman, Barton earned all-conference accolades in each of his four seasons – including first team honors twice – and was the conference’s Tournament MVP as a sophomore in 2000.

Barton’s name still appears throughout the Valpo program record book, as he ranks fifth in program history in career points (1,675), seventh in rebounds (753), tied for seventh in assists (360), fourth in 3-pointers (244), 10^th in made field goals (566), 10^th in blocked shots (74) and owns the program record for career steals with 190. His 63 steals in 2001-02 stood for nearly two decades as the single-season program record and now rank second in single-season program history.

Wednesday was the exact 25-year anniversary of Barton arriving on Valpo’s campus for the first time.

“I put value on the four years I had here and appreciate what we accomplished and the relationships that I built,” Barton said. “We came in right after the 1998 NCAA Tournament and Bryce’s shot. The lights were bright. We had a lot of young freshmen coming in to replace seniors, and we overachieved. That pushed us forward the next three years.”

Barton’s professional playing career featured time with top-class European teams such as Fortiduo Bologna, Virtus Roma, Joventut Badalona and Barcelona. He is a FibaCup champion, Spanish Cup Champion, Spanish league ACB Champion, Eurocup Champion and Euroleague Champion.

“With every team I’ve been on, the story is always about relationships,” Barton said. “That’s the most important thing. If you can connect those relationships with good times and winning and celebrating, that’s even better. I was very fortunate that I was never part of a losing team. I won on every level. Coaching is not just about tactics, it’s about knowing what it takes to be successful.”

Barton is the latest addition to a coaching staff that has no shortage of winning pedigree. Powell has both played and coached in the national title game. Assistant coach Matt Gordon has coached in a Final Four, assistant coach A.J. Moye has played in the Final Four and assistant coach Pat Baldwin helped coach Northwestern to the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.

“Roger is very straightforward and passionate,” Barton said. “He’s very clear and motivated. What he’s built here in four months is something that people try to make in four years. I’m happy to be on his staff. I hope to learn from him as much as I can while also providing my knowledge and my experiences from a different point of view. It’s a blessing to be here.”