SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State women's basketball head coach Zenarae Antoine announced Tuesday morning that Octavia Barnes is joining her coaching staff as an assistant coach ahead of the 2025-26 season.

"Octavia absolutely loves coaching the game of basketball and developing the 'whole' student-athlete," Antoine said. "As a student-athlete she was relentless on the hardwood, and now as a coach puts that same effort and dedication into her players.  We are excited to add Coach O to our program!"

Barnes joins the Bobcats after serving as the Coordinator of Player Development for the last three seasons at Houston with their women's basketball program. Prior to that she completed her playing career for the Houston Cougars in the 2018-2019 season.

The former Cougar finished her playing career in Houston, finishing the 2017-18 season as the Cougars' fifth-leading scorer and 2018-19 season as the fourth-leading scorer. Her teams made back-to-back WNIT appearances as a player.

During her time coaching at Houston, Barnes oversaw mentoring and motivating athletes by breaking down film and creating specific workout plans. Barnes helped in the development of guard Laila Blair to earn First Team All-American Athletic Conference Honors (2022-23) and All-Big 12 Honorable Mention Honors (2023-24) for the Cougars. Barnes also helped in the promotion and organization of summer camps hosted by the team.
 
"I am more than honored to join the Texas State bobcat family to help grow and empower women on and off the court," Farris said. "I look forward to working with Coach Z, whose culture is about creating an environment where everyone can be their best selves."
 
Texas State added Barnes to its staff as the team prepares for the 2025-2026 season to begin this fall.  

For the latest information on the team, follow @TXStateWBB on Twitter and Instagram. General athletic news can also be at @TxStateBobcats on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.