Cleveland State picks new men’s basketball coach

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Rob Summers, a former Cleveland State assistant under Dennis Gates, is returning to CSU as head coach.

Summers worked at CSU from 2020-22, then moved to Miami (OH) as associate head coach.

He rejoined Gates this past season at Missouri as associate head coach.

Summers, 7 feet tall, played in 125 games with 78 starts at Penn State (2002-04) and West Virginia (2005-07).

As a Mountaineer, Summers made 33 appearances in his first season with the program, helping WVU reach the Sweet 16. In his final campaign, he was a team captain on the team’s NIT championship squad, starting 36 games and shooting 63.3 percent from the field – a mark that stands as the second-highest single-season percentage in school history.

“Rob and I not only played together at WVU but we worked together in our first coaching job as assistants,” said Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla. “From him, I learned the importance of recruiting and relationship building. Since then, I have watched him grow in teaching the game and he has worked extremely hard to become a well-rounded coach. He has great energy, passion and desire to learn. I know he will be a great addition to any staff he joins.”

He’s a native of Columbus, OH and replaces Daniyal Robinson, who moved to North Texas after this past season.

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