Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Hiring Xavier's Lead Trainer

Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles forward Kenny White Jr. (13) collects a defensive rebound in the second half of the NCAA basketball game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021. Cincinnati finished its non-conference schedule with a 76-67 win over the Golden Eagles. Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles At Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Hiring Xavier's Lead Trainer

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bearcats on SI
By Russell Heltman | Last updated May 1, 2026 12:22 PM ET

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Cincinnati has won an off-court battle in the Crosstown Shootout.

Former Xavier basketball trainer Connor Barnes is joining Jerrod Calhoun's staff for the upcoming season as he flips his training acumen from Xavier players to Cincinnati players.

Barnes announced the hiring on his Instagram page.

New Training Blood

The veteran trainer has led the Xavier operations since 2023 and was named their Co-Director of Sports Medicine in 2024. It's a pretty stunning development, as Barnes also graduated from Xavier in 2012.

He parents grew up in Cincinnati and discussed that in a Xavier school feature when he was hired in 2023.

"Both of my parents are from the Cincinnati area," Barnes said in 2023. "My mom grew up on the east side, and my dad grew up in northern Kentucky. I had a couple of cousins who went to Xavier and family ties to the area, so it was just a place I knew I had to check out when we did the college tour during my senior year of high school. When I stepped foot on campus, it just felt like home. It felt like there was already a connection. I remember my senior year of high school when I got the letter in the mail that I was accepted, my aunt was in town and had taped it to the front door before I even got home. Once I saw that, there were just no other thoughts. It was just where I was going to go.

"I was kind of lucky to know what I wanted from a college. I knew I wanted a smaller college and that I wanted to be in Division I athletics, and I knew I wanted to be in the athletic training program. On the other side of the coin, I knew I still wanted to play hockey, and I wasn’t quite ready to give that up. I had also gone to a club hockey game when I was on a campus visit and loved what I saw. It was just kind of the perfect fit in terms of academics, student life, size, and location. It checked every box."

This may mean another promotion for Monster Factory leader Mike Rehfeldt. He is currently lsisted as the Associate AD for Sport Performance, overseeing other sports outside of football. The two could also be working together this coming season.

Barnes figures to help shape the new training regimen for Calhoun's team.

The plot thickens in Cincinnati's biggest basketball rivalry.