 Bartow served as the head coach for his alma mater University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) from 1996 to 2002, succeeding his father Gene, the creator of the UAB Blazers men's basketball program.At UAB, he compiled a 103–83 overall record with a conference mark of 48–46.Bartow was the men's head basketball coach at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) from 2003 to 2015.