When Daniyal Robinson accepted the head coaching job at North Texas, one of the first names most college hoops folks (including ourselves) expected as one of the top candidates for the Cleveland State job would be Rob Summers. After all, he was a finalist in 2022, while serving as an assistant under Dennis Gates, who accepted the Missouri job, during CSU’s hoops renaissance that included two Horizon League regular season titles and the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009.
Pretty impressive, seeing as how Cleveland State was all but dead after the firing of Dennis Felton in July 2019.
So, it came as no surprise that Summers once again was reported as finalist this time around, with two other familiar faces in Viking circles in the mix as well: Jay Shunnar, who was Robinson’s assistant the past three seasons, and Jermaine Henderson, the Dayton assistant with two CSU assistant stints under his belt.
In the end, though, it was Summers who was tabbed to take over at Cleveland State, reinforcing that old adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
During his tenure as a CSU assistant, Summers was best known as the Vikings’ offensive coordinator. Not only that, he was also instrumental in developing Cleveland State’s big men. Under his tutelage, Spider Johnson, already an up-and-coming player in the frontcourt, flourished. Algevon Eichelberger was also a prominent figure in the rotation before injuries slowed him down.
And who could forget the end of the 2021 Horizon League quarterfinals, when 7-2 Mabor Majak made the task of inbounding impossible for Purdue Fort Wayne’s Jarred Godfrey?
When Robinson was hired, Summers elected to move elsewhere, eventually landing at Miami (OH) to serve as an assistant under Travis Steele. He was joined by another familiar face to Vikings fans, Anderson Mirambeaux, and the big man excelled during his two-year stint with the Redhawks, garnering All-MAC Honorable Mention accolades in both seasons.
After Miami, Summers reunited with Gates at Mizzou, and collaborated in a bounceback for the ages. The previous season, the Tigers experienced a massive slump, going winless in the SEC. But this past season, Missouri surged, earning a 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but having the bad luck of facing a Ben McCollum-led Drake team that wouldn’t be denied a win.
Given his recent credentials, coupled with his extensive resume that includes a head coaching stop at now-defunct Urbana and assistant coaching gigs at James Madison and Glenville State, it was only a matter of time before Summers got the call to take a head coaching spot. Gates himself quipped, on multiple occasions both at CSU and Mizzou, that his assistants were head coaches in waiting, something that came true when Dru Joyce III took over at Duquesne.
And now, it’s Summers’ time to shine. He’ll be introduced as the new CSU head coach at a 1pm ET press conference this Friday.
Then, it’s time to hit the ground running.
As of now, every Cleveland State player with eligibility, with the exception of Cole Franklin, is in the transfer portal. Three of them, Reese Robinson, Je’Shawn Stevenson and Dylan Arnett, have also committed to joining Daniyal Robinson at North Texas. The rest of them are likely already fielding offers, so the process of re-recruiting those players, something that’s a new reality in college basketball, is likely the first order of business.
It’s also a given that the next priority will be putting together a coaching staff. It’s possible that Summers identifies people he’s worked with in the past, which may include former Viking Tre Gomillion, a move that CSU fans would be all for. Even if that doesn’t come to pass, there are a wide array of highly qualified assistants across the country that would more than fit the bill.
Regardless of what happens next, the Summers hire has been viewed by most as the continuation of the trend Cleveland State has taken in hiring its coaches: Identify assistants eager to build and develop CSU to ensure its long-term success in the Horizon League.
In this case, Cleveland State not only appears to stayed on this path, they found someone who knows the college and community and is ready to keep the momentum going.
