Men’s Basketball Names Rob Summers Assistant Coach

University of Missouri men’s basketball added a top frontcourt coach to its staff on Tuesday as Whitten Family Men’s Basketball Head Coach Dennis Gates announced the addition of Rob Summers as an assistant coach to the Tigers program.

A 7-foot graduate of West Virginia who played two seasons under John Beilein after starting his career at Penn State, Summers will work directly with the Tigers’ post players at Mizzou.

“As somebody who specializes in post development, Rob is the perfect piece to round out our coaching staff,” Gates said. “Very few coaches have frontcourt-playing experience and his knowledge and ability to teach the position will no doubt elevate our program. As our top assistant coach at Cleveland State, he has familiarity with our system and was behind all of our success at CSU. Rob has continued to grow as a coach as he spent the last two seasons as associate head coach at Miami, helping turn that program into a MAC contender. He is without a doubt a future head coach and we look forward to him joining our program as we strive to win championships in the classroom, on the court and in the community.”

Summers joins the Tigers after spending the previous two seasons at Miami University as associate head coach. He made an immediate impact with the RedHawks – helping the program to its top placement in the MAC standings in 13 years, while mentoring Anderson Mirambeaux to all-conference accolades in both of his seasons on campus. Mirambeaux, who increased his scoring average from 1.5 points in 2021-22 to 13.6 in his two seasons at Miami, became the first RedHawks frontcourt player to earn All-MAC honors in back-to-back campaigns in 10 years.

Prior to Summers’ time at Miami, he and Gates first worked together during a successful three-year stint at Cleveland State. An assistant coach and the team’s offensive coordinator, Summers helped the Vikings increase their scoring average by more than 10 points per game as CSU collected two regular-season Horizon League titles and one tournament championship.

“I’m incredibly honored and excited to join Coach Gates’ staff at the University of Missouri,” Summers said. “It is a dream come true to be a part of such a prestigious program with a rich tradition. I can’t wait to get to work with the talented student-athletes and staff at Mizzou.”

Summers joined the Vikings after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at James Madison. He also enjoyed coaching stops as the head coach at Division II Urbana (Ohio) from 2014 to 2017, one season as James Madison’s director of operations and two years at Glenville State as associate head coach and compliance coordinator.

Summers played in 125 games with 78 starting assignments 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.

Summers was a three-time Big East Academic All-Star at WVU, where he received his bachelor’s degree in sports management in 2007 before earning his master’s in athletic coaching education in 2012. Summers was selected in the 2007 NBA Development League Draft, ultimately deciding to compete overseas. He played professionally in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America.
 

“Rob Summers has always been a very detailed student of the game. He was as a player when I coached him at West Virginia and now for many years, I have watched him continue that as a coach. His passion and talent for coaching basketball is outstanding. This will be a fabulous addition to the staff at Missouri!”
John Beilein, Former Head Coach, Michigan, West Virginia

“Missouri fans should be very excited to welcome Rob Summers and his family to the Tigers program. I have been very fortunate to have known Rob for over 20 years and I am not surprised by the success he has had as he continues to rise in the coaching ranks.  His high character, personality, and endless ability to work and relate with the players will be a great asset.”
Mike Gansey • General Manager, Cleveland Cavaliers

“Rob is a very intelligent coach. He does a great job relating and connecting with young men. Everyone around him almost immediately feels a great connection to his genuine character. He is very skilled in on-court development of student-athletes and will be a great addition to the Mizzou program and the community of Columbia.”
Bob Huggins • Former Head Coach, West Virginia, Kansas State, Cincinnati

“Rob and I not only played together at WVU but we worked together in our first coaching job as assistants. 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.”
Joe Mazzulla • Head Coach, Boston Celtics