UNF's Kennen, SIU-Edwardsville's Barone share friendship, interim experience

Key Highlights

• 2 (7 p. m.).
• SIUE is 5-3 and UNF 2-5. Last year, the Ospreys traveled to Illinois for a 78-73 win. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementKennen should hope his path follows the one Barone experienced; he was made the full-time coach at SIU in November of his interim year and has a career 91-106 record at the school. Barone recalls 'unique' dealBarone and Kennen met in 2001. Barone, in first coaching job, was an assistant at Central Florida Community College.
• Kennen was on the staff at Jacksonville and made a recruiting visit to the school.“And we’ve always kept in touch,” Barone said.
• “I was 22 and had no right doing all of the stuff I was doing and Bobby took me to lunch after recruiting one of our practices and kind of got my head right by saying, ‘Here’s what you’re going to do and it’s going to be tough.’”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMore: More from O'Halloran: New North Florida basketball coach Bobby Kennen grants T-U all-access for debut at FloridaBarone moved onto to Garden City (Kan.) Community College, Illinois State, Green Bay and Butler County (Kan.) Community College and Kennen went from JU to Campbell to UNF. Barone was hired as an assistant at SIU-Edwardsville ahead of the 2018-19 season.
• Months later, he thought he was out of a job along with Harris.“My deal was very unique,” Barone said.