MPISD – Sports

Contact:  Kelly Cowan

Barkley named TABC Assistant Coach of the Year

Mount Pleasant High School Assistant Basketball Coach, Drew Barkley, has been named Assistant Coach of the Year by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC), an award granted to only eight coaches across the state. TABC awardees are nominated by Texas High School basketball coaches and voted on by Regional coordinators and committees.

Barkley began his coaching career in Hallsville where he served as both the freshman coach and head varsity coach. He then did stints in Bullard and Linden-Kildare before coming to Mount Pleasant in 2014. In his 8 seasons with MP he has helped lead the Tigers to a 191-72 record. During the 2022 season, Coach Barkley was acting head coach for six games with a 4-2 record.

“I love coaching in Mount Pleasant,” said Barkley. “From day one, Coach Chism has put his full trust in me to help run his program and it truly is a joint effort. Our players have worked extremely hard for us and put their faith in us as well to bring out the best in them. This award is truly special because a lot of the work I do is not easily recognizable. I enjoy serving our program behind the scenes but it feels good to be noticed every now and then. I am humbled and honored that Coach Chism nominated me and that the TABC selection committee recognized my efforts.”

In addition to coaching basketball and track, Barkley teaches Advanced Quantitative Reasoning at MPHS. His wife Rachel is the Trauma-Informed Care Specialist at the Child Development Center in MPISD. Together they have three children: Bri, Beckett, and Brynlee.