After four consecutive losing seasons, Tony Barbee's time at Auburn has come to an end.
Auburn director of athletics Jay Jacobs announced Barbee's dismissal less than two hours after the Tigers' 74-56 loss to South Carolina in the SEC Tournament.
"After careful evaluation of the last four years, I feel this is best for the program," Jacobs said in a statement. "I believe we should compete for championships in men's basketball. It's time for somebody else to have a turn. We need to find somebody to come in here and take what we have here now and put some more in and compete for SEC titles."
Barbee's firing came exactly four years to the day of former Auburn head coach Jeff Lebo's firing on March 12, 2010.
According to Charles Goldberg of AuburnTigers.com, Jacobs told Barbee of his decision Wednesday night so the head coach could tell his team before the players for the rest of Spring Break.
In his four years at Auburn, Barbee has compiled a total record of 49-75, with an SEC record of 18-54. His win percentage at Auburn after the four years stands at .395 percent, the worst winning percentage of any Auburn basketball coach since V.J. Edney was at the helm in the 1946 season.
Auburn struggled against SEC opponents, especially in the SEC Tournament, where Auburn was eliminated in the first-round all four years.
This year's team finished 14-16 overall, with a 6-13 SEC record after being eliminated by South Carolina. The team's six conference wins this year was Barbee's best conference record during his tenure at Auburn.
Twelve scholarship players transferred from Auburn during Barbee's tenure, including highly rated recruits Shaq Johnson and Jordan Price.
Auburn has also seen it's attendance at basketball games drop 6.9 percent to an all-time low average of 5,823 fans per game in Auburn Arena, which was opened during Barbee's first year.
"As I said last year, I hoped to see significant improvement this season. Unfortunately, the results fell short of my expectations," Jacobs said. "As Athletics Director, I expect more from our basketball program. That is why I believe it is time to move in a new direction."
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