Women’s basketball head coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener will be the first women’s coach at Georgia State to coach barefoot.
For the past two seasons, Men’s basketball head coach Ron Hunter has coached an annual “Barefoot for Bare Feet” game at Georgia State in support of the Samaritan’s Feet organization.
This year, Hunter won’t be alone as Women’s Head Coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener will coach her first “Barefoot for Bare Feet” game at the GSU Sports Arena on Jan. 18 at noon against conference foe University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Samaritan’s Feet is a global humanitarian aid organization that provides shoes to poverty-stricken children around the world.
“If I can help raise more awareness for the Samaritan’s Feet organization, then it will be worth it to coach a game barefoot,” Tener-Baldwin said. “Coach Hunter is to be commended for his efforts, and the cause is so purposeful, whether in Atlanta or around the world.”
This year is the organization’s seventh year of hosting the “Barefoot for Bare Feet” initiative.
Jan. 24 will mark the sixth anniversary of the program’s first barefoot game that was coached by Hunter.
Hunter started the tradition in 2008 at Indiana University—Purdue University Indianapolis where he coached the game annually before bringing the tradition with him when he was hired by Georgia State in 2011.
Hunter won’t be the only pioneer at Georgia State as Baldwin-Tener will be the first women’s coach to coach barefoot at Georgia State.
Hunter commended Baldwin-Tener for her decision to coach barefoot in support of the organization.
“I think it is great that coach Baldwin-Tener has decided to go barefoot and help raise awareness for Samaritans Feet,” Hunter said. “I have a great respect for her not only as a coach, but as a person.”
Hunter said he is thankful for her and the other coaches nationwide who have joined the cause by coaching barefoot so that less fortunate children worldwide can have shoes one day, as well as hope.
The women’s coach looks at coaching barefoot not as a sacrifice but with a sense of optimism.
“A couple hours without shoes might mean months or years for someone to get a pair of shoes, so it will be time well spent. I hope our fans will continue to show their support to Samaritans Feet,” Baldwin-Tener said.
Other Division I basketball coaches that have coached barefoot:
- John Calipari (University of Kentucky men’s head coach)
- Brad Stevens (former Butler University men’s head coach, current Boston Celtics head coach)
- Sue Semrau (Florida State University women’s head coach)
- Scott Nagy (South Dakota State men’s head coach)
