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Now
at the helm of the Union City (Ind.) Indians, Tri-Village graduate
David Barger
gives instruction to his team Monday during a scrimmage
against Seton Catholic at
Northeastern High School in Fountain City.
CNO Photo by George Starks
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T-V grad lands
head position at Union City
Barger to run Indians basketball
By George Starks
FOUNTAIN CITY IND.- When it comes to being in the right place at the
right time, former Tri-Village standout, David Barger has been able to
do it.
Out of high school just eight years ago, Barger was the seventh grade
coach for the Patriots and then went to Tipp City last season as the
varsity assistant.
Now at the unbelievable age of only 26, Barger has accepted the head
coaching job at Randolph Eastern in Union City Indiana.
In terms of distance, Tri-Village is only a stones throw away from
Union City but in terms of position, it’s a very long way.
It’s no secret that hoops in Indiana is king of all sports unlike Ohio
where football rules.
A big change of scenery at such a young age, Barger is ready to meet
the challenge head on.
“This is something I’ve always dreamed of doing,” said Barger. “I guess
I’ve been very ambitious about getting into coaching. I’ve gotten here
in a short period of time but I think I’ve been groomed by some very
influential people.”
If being influenced by some of the best means anything, then Barger had
had that kind of preparation over the years.
Graduating from Tri-Village, Barger played his high school years under
the tutelage of Patriots coach Josh Sagester.
Before that, it was his dad, Dale, that tried to show his young son how
to play the game.
“Sagester has done a lot of me,” said Barger. “I spent a year as a
junior high coach at Tri-Village. Then I accepted a position at Tipp.
So I know my success at Tri-Village in 2008 would help me down the road
and it did. I give a lot of credit to Sagester. I hope to bring that
same structure from Tri-Village to Union City.”
Needless to say, it all started with his dad.
“I wouldn’t be in this position I’m in now if it weren’t for my dad,”
Barger admitted. “He was taking me to games at the state basketball
tournament in Ohio when I was little, maybe when I was in the sixth
grade. He was very influential in my life and it was because of him and
the fact that he instilled these types of values in me that I’m doing
this now.”
Over the years, Dale Barger has covered sports in Darke County, most
recently forcrosscountyconference.com.
Now, his role may very well be changing.
Barger will go from writing sports to be the varsity assistant for his
son.
“I really can’t imagine having a better person on the bench with me,”
stated David. “He’s somebody that really knows the game and he’s been
instrumental in my development.”
Again, having his dad on the bench is a reflection of the Sagester’s.
Since Josh took over the program at Tri-Village, his dad, Mic, has been
right there with him going from a program that struggled at times to a
state title in 2015.
“When I was in school, we (David and Dale) always joked about how neat
it would be to do the same thing,” said David. “This was something
we’ve talked about since my playing days. I love having him around.
This is a dream come true.”
Coming off a 13 win season, Union City graduated a ton of offense
according to Barger.
“We have a lot of raw talent on this team,” stated Barger. “We have a
lot of work to do to get this team ready for the upcoming season but we
will get there in time. I really don’t want to talk about wins and
losses with them right now. The biggest thing is they have to get in
the gym and put the time in if they want to succeed. Right now,
attendance has been sparse to say the least. We really got to work on
getting kids out here. We have a goal of having the kids out in the gym
seventy percent of the time. We’re calling it the ‘All In Program’.
Coming from a successful program at Tri-Village as well as Tipp,
Barger wants that same success at Union City that he’s known as a
player.
“Sags had that bulldog mentality as a coach and I’m bringing that with
me,” said Barger. “He has always known winning and I have those same
expectations now. Sagester taught us that defense is the key and if we
want to win a championship, defense is a must in getting it done.”
Barger is expecting his second child soon, a son.
“It’ll be my luck my wife will go into labor during camp,” Barger said
with a smile.
Barger will be teaching seventh grade math at Union City starting in
the fall.
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