SMU parts ways with head men's basketball coach Rob Lanier after 2 seasons

The SMU Mustangs have made the decision to move on from head basketball coach Rob Lanier after two seasons, according to Bill Embody.

This season, SMU went 20-13 and made it to the NIT. That was a notable improvement from Lanier’s first season with the program when the Mustangs went 10-22. That gave Lanier a 30-35 record during his two seasons with the Mustangs.

SMU did lose six of its final seven games, including in the first round of the NIT to Indiana State, this past season. In that game, which was played at Indiana State, the Mustangs gave up 101 points in a losing effort. The Sycamores shot 35 free throws in the game.

Rob Lanier came to SMU after spending three seasons as the head coach at Georgia State. There, he had a 53-30 record in three seasons. He also was the head coach at Siena between 2001 and 2005, compiling a 58-70 record there. Lanier also has stops with Tennessee, Texas, Florida, and Virginia, among others, as an assistant coach.

Initially, Rob Lanier took over for Tim Jankovich, who retired following the 2021-22 season. During his more than six seasons with the program, he had a 125-64 winning percentage. During that time, the program made the NCAA Tournament once. He took over from Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown, who in many ways revitalized the basketball program.

Next season, SMU is going to be moving to the ACC, one of the premier basketball conferences in the country. When the Mustangs make that change, they’ll be under new leadership.

That move to the ACC comes amid massive conference realignment in college athletics. It’s a move that SMU wanted so much that the Mustangs are also willing to forgo nine years of revenue to make the move to the ACC. This also comes as SMU has continued to invest in its facilities. For the basketball program, that includes donations from David B. Miller, whose name is on the floor.

According to Jeff Goodman, the decision to move on from Rob Lanier came from above athletic director Rick Hart. He wrote, “Told the decision came from above AD Rick Hart.”

SMU is one of the more interesting open head coaching positions in college basketball. Between the program’s investment in facilities and move to the ACC, expectations are high moving forward and AD Rick Hart is now going to be tasked with finding the right coach moving forward.