Mizzou Assistant Announced as Head Coach of Cleveland State

An important Missouri assistant is headed back to one of his first stops in the Horizon League. Conference.

Dec 3, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A general view of the end court logo prior to a game between the Missouri Tigers and Wichita State Shockers at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Missouri Tigers assistant coach Rob Summers has taken the head coaching job at Cleveland State, per the university. Summers spent a single season in Columbia, joining the team in April of 2024.

Previously, Summers was with the Cleveland State Vikings from 2019-22, the same chunk of seasons when Missouri head coach Dennis Gates was the program's head coach. He also had stops at Miami of Ohio, James Madison and Glenville State, where he started his career.

Summers also had a prolific college basketball career as an athlete, finding success with Penn State and West Virginia. He also played in multiple countries for multiple professional teams overseas.

He has multiple stops at multiple teams as an assistant, most recently with the Tigers. He helped coach a Missouri roster that went 22-12 and made it to the first round of the NCAA tournament as a six-seed, where they lost to the 11-seed Drake Bulldogs. This was his fourth season coaching under Gates, who has high praise for all of his coaching staff.

"Every assistant on my staff is a head coach, and they deserve an opportunity to run their own program. What we have been able to do is not just because of me. It’s not," Gates said earlier in the season. "I would be selfish to think that way. ... I truly believe, when you look at this team picture five years from now, you’ll see head coaches running their own program somewhere."

There is a sense of excitement within Cleveland State for its new head coach, whose power-conference experience will come in handy in the Horizon League.

"I am confident Coach Summers will continue the success of the men's basketball program he helped build as an assistant. We had great conversations with outstanding candidates from across the country, and Coach Summers stood out as the right leader for our program as we continue to strive to win championships in the classroom, on the court and in the community," Athletic Director Gory Harkey said.

Missouri will now be on the hunt for another assistant coach to add to its staff after the departure of Summers.