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Barbara Farris

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Barbara Farris
Personal information
Born (1976-09-10) September 10, 1976 (age 49)
Harvey, Louisiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High schoolSt. Martin's (Metairie, Louisiana)
CollegeTulane (1994–1998)
Playing career1998–2009
Career history
Playing
1998New England Blizzard
1999-2000RC Strasbourg (France)
2000–2005Detroit Shock
2001-2002Cavigal Nice (France)
2003Ros Casares (Spain)
2004Yongin Samsung (South Korea)
2005Halcon Avenida (Spain)
2006–2007New York Liberty
2006CBK Mersin (Turkey)
2007USK Prague (Czech Republic)
2008Phoenix Mercury
2008AS Athinaikos (Greece)
2009Detroit Shock
Coaching
2009Bonnabel High School (assistant coach)
2010-2020John Curtis High School (head coach)
2012-2014, 2018–2019New York Liberty (assistant)
2020–2022Stetson Hatters (assistant)
2023–2024Southern Miss (assistant head coach)
2025Texas State (assistant)
Career highlights
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Barbara Farris (born September 10, 1976) is an American basketball coach and former professional and collegiate player. A ten-year veteran of the WNBA, she won a league championship in 2003 and later built a championship-winning coaching career spanning the high school, collegiate, and professional levels.[1]

Farris is a member of multiple halls of fame, including the New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame[2] and the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame, recognizing her impact as both a player and coach.[3]

Coaching Career

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High School Coaching

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Farris began her coaching career in Louisiana and rose to prominence as head coach at John Curtis Christian School. Over a 10-year span, she complied a 291-64 record and led the Lady Patriots to five Louisiana state championships, including four consecutive titles from 2017 to 2020, and nine district championships.[4]

Her program produced multiple Division I athletes, including Louisiana Miss Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year JerKaila Jordan.[4]

WNBA and Professional Coaching Roles

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Farris served as an assistant coach for the New York Liberty (2012-2014, 2018-2019) and worked as a liaison to the National Basketball Retired Players Association from 2016 to 2017.[1]

Collegiate Coaching

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Stetson University (2020-2022)

Farris joined the Stetson University Hatters as an assistant coach, where she focused on the frontcourt development, During her tenure, the program recorded 43 wins over three seasons and posted a 20-win record in 2021-2022.[1]

The University of Southern Mississippi (2023-2025)[4]

Farris served as the assistant head coach at Southern Miss, contributing to both player development and program culture, leading to another 20-win season in 2023-2024.[5] She oversaw academics, helping the team achieve the highest team GPA in program history.[6]

Texas State University (2025)

In April 2025, Farris joined the Texas State Bobcats as an assistant coach under head coach Zenarae Antoine,[7] and helped the team improve total scoring, field goal percentage, rebounding, and steals while doubling the Bobcats number of blocks from the year before.[8]

Early Life and High School Career

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Farris was born in Harvey, Louisiana, and attended St. Martin's Episcopal School in Metairie. She was a standout multi-sport athlete, helping lead the school to back-to-back state basketball championships in 1993 and 1994, including an undefeated 36-0 season in 1993, garnering her earlyy recognition as a two-time all-Louisiana team member[9]

She also contributed two state championships in track and field and earned All-State honors in basketball.[1] For her accomplishments, she was inducted in the school's hall of fame in 2011.[4]

College Career

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Farris played collegiate basketball at Tulane University from 1994 to 1998 under head coach Lisa Stockton. She became one of the most accomplished players in program history, earning all-conference honors in each of her four seasons, including first-team selections in 1995 (Metro Conference) and 1997 (Conference USA),[1] and a WBCA/Kodak All-American honorable mention in 1997.[10]

During her tenure, Tulane achieved significant milestones, including:

  • The program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1995[9]
  • A 27-5 record in 1996-97, along with a Conference USA regular season and tournament titles[9]
  • Multiple NCAA Tournament appearances during her career[1]

Farris finished her career in the Tulane record books with:

  • 1,729 points (top six in program history)
  • 939 rebounds
  • A .637 career field goal percentage, the highest in Tulane history[10]

Tulane Athletics inducted her into its Hall of Fame in 2024.[6]

Professional Career

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Farris began her professional career in 1998 after being selected third overall by the New England Blizzard of the former American Basketball League.[1]

She transitioned to the WNBA in 2000, beginning a 10-year career in which she played for:

Her career highlights include:

Farris also played professionally internationally in Europe[13] and Asia from 2000 to 2008.

Career statistics

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WNBA

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2000 Detroit 1429.350.00.055.62.30.10.40.11.03.2
2001 Detroit 311018.046.90.063.83.50.50.20.21.04.2
2002 Detroit 321617.641.90.073.82.90.50.40.31.24.5
2003 Detroit 34015.443.40.065.12.40.70.30.11.23.7
2004 Detroit 26016.251.30.066.72.30.30.30.11.04.5
2005 Detroit 34113.134.20.061.12.50.60.20.01.32.4
2006 New York 343427.843.00.072.45.21.50.60.11.97.7
2007 New York 2808.534.50.081.31.50.50.20.00.71.9
2008 Phoenix 34816.347.30.069.83.80.20.60.11.03.5
2009 Phoenix 1338.522.20.081.31.40.40.40.00.71.3
Career 1 year, 1 team 2807416.043.30.068.23.00.60.40.11.13.9

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2003 Detroit 8016.640.00.064.72.50.50.10.01.33.9
2004 Detroit 3226.035.30.075.05.00.70.30.01.76.0
2005 Detroit 206.00.00.00.00.50.00.00.00.00.0
2007 New York 304.060.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.72.0
Career 1 year, 1 team 16214.739.60.068.02.30.40.10.01.13.4

College

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Source[14]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1994-95 Tulane 28 438 59.9% 0.0% 58.6% 8.0 0.5 1.0 0.4 15.6
1995-96 Tulane 31 465 62.7% 0.0% 56.2% 8.0 0.7 1.1 0.4 15.0
1996-97 Tulane 32 437 62.3% 0.0% 60.2% 7.7 1.3 1.5 0.4 13.7
1997-98 Tulane 27 389 71.9% 100.0% 65.6% 8.2 1.1 1.3 0.3 14.4
Totals 118 1729 63.7% 50.0% 59.6% 8.0 0.9 1.2 0.4 14.7

Honors and Recognition

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Farris has been inducted into multiple halls of fames, including:[6]

  • Tulane Athletics Hall of Fame (2004)
  • St. Martin's Episcopal School Hall of Fame (2011; team induction 2015)
  • Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame (2017)
  • Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame (2024; 2025)

Legacy

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Farris is widely recognized for her success across all levels of basketball: as a championship-winning professional player, record-setting collegiate athlete, and a highly successful, championship-winning coach. Her contributions have been particularly significant in Louisiana, where she has influenced elite player development and the growth of girl's basketball.[6]

Notes

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Barbara Farris - Women's Basketball Coach". Stetson University Athletics. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  2. ↑ "Barbara Farris – New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame". Sugar Bowl. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  3. ↑ "Barbara Farris Inducted into LHSAA Hall of Fame". Texas State Athletics. 2025-05-15. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Barbara Farris - Women's Basketball Coach". Southern Miss. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  5. ↑ "Women's Basketball Cumulative Statistics". Southern Miss. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Barbara Farris – New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame". Sugar Bowl. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  7. ↑ "Barbara Farris - Assistant Coach - Staff Directory". Texas State Athletics. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  8. ↑ "2025-26 Women's Basketball Cumulative Statistics". Texas State Athletics. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  9. 1 2 3 "Tulane Exhibits". Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  10. 1 2 "2025-26 WBB Record Book" (PDF). Tulane University Athletics. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  11. ↑ "Barbara Farris | National Basketball Retired Players Association". 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  12. ↑ "2003 WNBA Playoffs - WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  13. ↑ "Barbara Janine Farris () - Basketball Stats, Height, Age | FIBA Basketball". www.fiba.basketball. 2026-03-28. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  14. ↑ "Tulane Media Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-09-11. Retrieved 2017-10-15.
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