Rob Summers, an assistant coach at Missouri, is making the leap to lead his own program as the new head coach at Cleveland State, the school announced on Wednesday. Summers spent just one year with Mizzou, during which he played a major role in the Tigers’ successful 22-12 season and NCAA Tournament berth as a No. 6 seed.
As Missouri’s offensive coordinator, Summers helped engineer one of the top offenses in college basketball, with the team finishing ninth in scoring at 83.6 points per game. They also ranked third in bench scoring and second in free throws made, while their 296 made three-pointers marked the fourth-highest total in school history.
This marks Summers’ first Division I head coaching position, but he’s no stranger to Cleveland State. From 2019 to 2022, he served as the Vikings’ offensive coordinator under then-head coach Dennis Gates, now leading Missouri. During that stint, Summers helped guide Cleveland State to a Horizon League championship and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009, while significantly improving the team’s offensive production.
In a statement, Gates praised Summers, saying, “He’s driven, passionate about basketball, and fully dedicated to developing student-athletes. He’s a relationship-builder on and off campus, and I have no doubt he will thrive as a head coach.”
