Our athletic staff is focused on success and ready to help you reach out and grab it. We're committed to helping student athletes meet their educational and athletic goals. We promise to help you be your best, on the field and in the classroom.
Helping Athletes Reach New Heights
Get to know the incredible staff behind our winning teams!
- Carl Howell, Athletic Director/Head Men's Basketball Coach
- R-Jay Barsh, Gym Manager/Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
Go to the individual sport page to read about the coaching staff for soccer, basketball, and volleyball.
Carl Howell, Athletic Director/Head Men's Basketball Coach
253.460.4462,
FAX 253.460.4462
chowell@tacomacc.edu
B.S. Central Washington University (1991)
M. Ed. City University (2007)
Career Record 342-99 (77.6%)
Carl Howell is currently the most-winning, active NWAACC Men's Basketball Coach by percentage (77.6%). His winning percentage is second only to Gonzaga's Mark Few (79.1%) among Northwest Men's Basketball Coaches. On January 8th 2011 Howell joined a handful of northwest coaches to win 300 games. On March 6th the Titans won their 2nd NWAACC Championship under Howell, beating Chemeketa 110-98. Howell becomes just the 3rd active NWAACC coach to win two NWAACC Titles. His 2012 team finished the season with a 26-5 record. In 2011, the Titans were the unanimous #1 ranked team in the NWAACC for the final 2 months of the 2010-11 season. They became the first team to ever go 16-0 in the NWAACC Western Region while winning their 6th region title in Howell's last 8 seasons and finished with a NWAACC best 26-3 record. The Titans once again placed high 4th at the NWAACC Tournament. This was all accomplished despite losing leading scorer & rebounder Brandon Magee for 9 of the last 10 games. In 2010 the Titans also finished in the Final Four placing 3rd at the NWAACC Tournament, while also winning their 6th NWAACC Western Region Title in 8 years. In addition the Titans had a NWAACC best record of 25-4 in 2010. Howell is in his second stint as the TCC Head Men's Basketball Coach. After completing most of his first season as the Athletic Director at Tacoma Community College, he was once again named Head Men's Basketball Coach in April 2008. In his first season back at the helm, the Titans finished 26-5 and advanced to the Elite 8, a 20-win improvement over TCC's 2007-08 team. He was the Head Men’s Basketball coach from 1993-2003 and is the school's all time leader in wins. From the 2003-04 to 2006-07 season Howell was the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Eastern Washington University (EWU) in Cheney, WA. In his first season with the Eagles, he helped guide them to the Big Sky Conference Championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament. That EWU team was led by former TCC players Brendon Merritt (Big Sky Conference Tournament MVP), Josh Barnard, Khary Nicholas and Rachi Wortham. While at EWU, Howell recruited current Detroit Piston Rodney Stuckey who was drafted 15th overall in the 2007 NBA draft. Howell was highly successful in his first stop at TCC winning the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges championship in 2002, as well as sending over 30 players onto four-year schools including 18 to the NCAA Division I level.
During his coaching career at TCC, he has coached the Titans to 342 victories, including 217 in his last eight seasons alone, for an average of 27.3 wins per year. His overall record in 14 years at the helm is 342-99 (77.6 percent). His last eight teams have all won at least 25 games. The Titans have been nearly unbeatable at home in his tenure with a 157-13 (92.4%) record, He is the only coach to win over 26 games in a season at TCC. Besides his 2012 and 2002 NWAACC titles, his Tacoma teams appeared in three championship games, the semifinals five times and the quarterfinals on 10 occasions for a total of 13 postseason appearances. In addition, his teams won four-straight NWAACC Western Region championships from 1998-2002, and he is the only coach in NWAACC history to have four straight region titles and two 30-win seasons to his credit. In the 1999-2000 season, the Titans went 30-4 and placed fourth at the NWAACC Tournament. He led Tacoma to a runner-up finish the following season, finishing with a 28-5 record. The next season, the Titans won the NWAACC title finishing with a 30-3 record. Howell's squad beat top-ranked Big Bend 88-78 in the championship game. From January 2nd, 2002 to January 25th, 2003, TCC won an amazing 37 of 38 games vs NWAACC competition. Howell was selected NWAACC Coach of the Year once, and has been the Western Region Coach of the Year six times. The Titans have won 6 Straight NWAACC Crossover Tournaments under Howell from 1999-2003, 2008 and 2009 while winning 9 of the 12 Crossovers TCC has participated in. He was also head coach of the NWAACC All-Star Game on six occasions. During his tenure, approximately 70 percent of his players earned their associate degrees.
Prior to arriving at Tacoma in 1992, Howell coached at Central Washington from 1989-1992 and in 1989 guided them to a 31-5 record and a fifth-place finish in the NAIA Tournament. While at Central, he played and coached under legendary coach Dean Nicholson and the late Gil Coleman. Prior to transferring to CWU, he played basketball at Skagit Valley Community College in Mt. Vernon, WA. for NWAACC Hall of Fame coach Dave Quall.
Howell earned a B.S. in Physical Education from Central Washington in 1991 and received his Masters of Education from City University in 2007. He graduated from Morton High School in Morton, WA. in 1984 where he played both basketball and football. Howell was born Oct. 26, 1965, in Silver Springs, Md. He and his wife, Jeri are the parents of two sons – Cameron (18) and Connor (14).
R-Jay Barsh, Gym Manager/Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
253.566.5271,
rbarsh@tacomacc.edu
R-Jay Barsh is TCC's Gym Manager for Physical Education and Athletics. He is also the Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach. However, he is not new to the Titan family. As a TCC freshman and basketball team captain, Barsh averaged 9.2 points a game (to go along with 2 steals per game) and was voted Most Inspirational Player by his teammates. That year, the Titans won the NWAACC title, finishing with a 30-3 record. Coached by Carl Howell, the squad beat top-ranked Big Bend 88-78 in the championship game. Barsh’s final TCC team finished 26-5 and fifth at the NWAACC Tournament in the 2002-03 season, when he was named to the NWAACC 2ndTeam and garnered the Tacoma Community College Athlete of the Year award.
After obtaining his degree from TCC, Barsh received an athletic scholarship to Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA. His junior year was marred with a back injury that eventually ended his career. “After the back surgery, I realized my love for basketball went further than just playing and I decided coaching was the career for me,” stated Barsh. Leaving Central with a minor in Business Administration, Barsh returned to Tacoma.
Barsh accepted an assistant coaching position at the University of Puget Sound. In his first year under Eric Bridgeland, the Loggers finished 26-5 and made the NCAA Division III Elite 8. In his second year, he coached under then Interim Coach Justin Lunt. The team finished 18-7 and was second in the Northwest Conference. After his successful years at Puget Sound, Barsh joined fellow University of Puget Sound graduate Aubrey Shelton ('06) at Lincoln High School. Lincoln had a memorable season, capping off a 25-5 finish with a fourth place finish at the WIAA State Tournament.
