After losing Daniyal Robinson to the University of North Texas, the Cleveland State Vikings have found a familiar face to run the men’s program.
In a statement from the university, former Vikings assistant coach Rob Summers has been named the 18th head coach in the history of Cleveland State men’s basketball.
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Summers was with the Vikings from 2019-22 as an assistant under then-Cleveland State head coach Dennis Gates. During that span, Cleveland State captured the Horizon League regular season and tournament titles and made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009. Summers was also key in building a Vikings offense that would routinely out-score opponents.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rob Summers, his wife Emelie, and his children Robert, Marina, and Genoveva back to Cleveland State as our new men’s basketball coach,” Cleveland State Director of Athletics Kelsie Gory Harkey said. “I am confident Coach Summers will continue the success of the men’s basketball program he helped build as an assistant.”
After leaving Cleveland State in 2022, Summers joined Travis Steele’s staff at Miami (Ohio) as associate head coach, helping the RedHawks secure their highest Mid-American Conference finish in a decade.
Following his time in Oxford, Summers reunited with Gates at Missouri for the 2024-25 season, where he once again served as offensive coordinator. In Columbia, Summers orchestrated a top-10 offense nationally and helped guide the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament.
Summers also served as an assistant coach at James Madison (2013-14), three years as the head coach of Division II Urbana (2014-17) and two years at Glenville State (2011-13) as associate head coach.
Cleveland State went 23-13 last season and reached the College Basketball Invitational Finals before losing to the Illinois State Redbirds 79-68. The Vikings last reached the NCAA Tournament in 2021, where they lost to Houston 87-56 in the first round.
Evan Dammarell is a credentialed, award-winning sports journalist who has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers and the NBA for nearly a decade right off the shores of Lake Erie. His work has appeared on Forbes, ClutchPoints, SBNation, FanSided, Heavy, The Locked On Podcast Network, and Right Down Euclid, among others. Evan is committed to his vision to go beyond the scores and so much more so that every fan can always keep up with what’s going on with their favorite teams on and off the court.
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