Rob Lanier (born July 24, 1968)
Current position: Head men’s basketball coach
Current team: SMU Mustangs
Current conference: American Athletic Conference (AAC, The American)
Siena record: 58-70 (.453)
Georgia State record: 53-30 (.639)
SMU record: 10-22 (.313)
Overall record: 121-122 (.498)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 2 (2002, 2022)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 1 (2003)
- AAC Regular Season Champion: 0
- Sun Belt Regular Season Champion: 1 (2021)
- AAC Tournament Champion: 0
- Sun Belt Tournament Champion: 1 (2022)
- MAAC Tournament Champion: 1 (2002)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 2022-present | SMU |
| 2019-2022 | Georgia State |
| 2015-2019 | Tennessee (assoc. HC) |
| 2011-2015 | Texas (assoc. HC) |
| 2007-2011 | Florida (asst) |
| 2005-2007 | Virginia (asst) |
| 2001-2005 | Siena |
| 1999-2001 | Texas (asst) |
| 1997-1999 | Rutgers (asst) |
| 1992-1997 | St. Bonaventure (asst) |
| 1991-1992 | Niagara (asst) |
| 1990-1991 | Niagara (grad. asst) |
Rob Lanier Facts
- Rob Lanier
- Born July 24, 1968
- Hometown: Buffalo, New York
- Alma Mater: St. Bonaventure University (BA, 1990)
- Born in NYC and raised in Buffalo, played for head coaches Ron DeCarli and Tom Chapman at St. Bonaventure
- Cousin of Hall of Fame player Bob Lanier, an 8x NBA All-Star with Detroit and Milwaukee
- Started his coaching career right after graduating, spending two years at Niagara on Jack Armstrong‘s staff
- Returned to his alma mater in 1992, working as an assistant under new Bonnies head coach Jim Baron
- Spent two years as an assistant Kevin Bannon‘s staff at Rutgers
- Hired by Texas head coach Rick Barnes in 1999, working there for two seasons before becoming a head coach at Siena
- Went 58-70 in four seasons as head coach at Siena, going to the 2002 NCAA Tournament and 2003 NIT
- Fired in March 2005 following a 6-24 effort in his fourth and final season
- Became an assistant again in 2005, spending two years under Dave Leitao (Virginia) and three under Billy Donovan (Florida)
- Rejoined Barnes at Texas in 2011, this time as the Longhorns’ associate head coach
- Hired in April 2019 to be the new head coach at Georgia State
- In his second year, Lanier’s Panthers won a share of the 2020-21 Sun Belt title
- In 2022, Georgia State made its return to the NCAA Tournament by way of a Sun Belt Tournament crown
- Left Georgia State in March 2022 to take over as the new head coach at SMU
- Along with his wife, Dr. Dayo Lanier, has one son and one daughter
Rob Lanier Coaching Tree
- coming soon
