Samford head women’s basketball coach Matt Wise recently announced a pair of staff changes. Hannah Barber has been hired as an assistant coach for Wise’s first coaching staff, while Walker Martin is being promoted to assistant coach.
Barber comes to Samford after spending the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach at Valdosta State. While at VSU, she was responsible for coordinating the offense as well as official and unofficial visits, content creation and daily recruiting efforts. She also developed and implemented opponent scouting reports and game plans.
Prior to her time at Valdosta State, Barber was a graduate assistant at Indiana from 2023 to 2024. She assisted in the development of three All-Big 10 selections, managed a team of male practice players and aided in on-campus recruitment, summer camps and day-to-day program operations.
Barber earned her bachelor’s degree from Alabama in 2022 and her master’s from Alabama in 2023. She was a member of the Crimson Tide women’s basketball team, leading the program to three postseason tournament bids, including a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. She was named the 2023 SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year and a CSC Academic All-American, while also leading the SEC in three-point percentage.
“The Samford women’s basketball Program is built on relationships, development and competing to win,” Wise said. “Hannah Barber is a direct representation of those values. While we’re thrilled to be able to bring Hannah home to the Homewood community, we’re even more excited about what she brings to this program. As an elite developer of talent, a tireless worker and one of the brightest young basketball minds in the business, we could not be more excited to have Hannah as a Bulldog.”
Martin has spent the last two seasons as a graduate assistant on the Samford coaching staff. During his time as a GA, Martin worked on analytics and data sets to assist players and coaches with training to maximize performance. He also handled travel and meal logistics, and he helped the coaching staff identify potential recruits for the program.
Prior to his time at Samford, Martin was a manager for the women’s basketball program at Michigan State from 2021 to 2023. He managed game and practice operations, while also assisting with video analytics and player development. Previously he served as an assistant coach at Chippewa Middle School in Michigan and he was the head of athletics at Camp Pinnacle in North Carolina.
Martin earned his bachelor of arts degree from Michigan State in 2023. He also recently finished his master’s degree from Samford this May.
“One of the best attributes in college athletics is the ability to be willing,” Wise said. “I have not worked with many people in coaching more willing than Walker Martin. Walker’s work ethic, loyalty and enthusiasm to go above and beyond have already made him a major asset to our program. In recruiting. They say, ‘sometimes the best gets are the ones you keep’ – getting to keep Walker is definitely one of the best this staff could get.”
