Rob Summers enters his third season on the Cleveland State coaching staff having been named an assistant coach in August 2019.

An Ohio native, Summers joined the Vikings after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at James Madison.

Head Coach Dennis Gates named Summers the team's offensive coordinator. As such, Summers aided the Vikings to the fourth-best field goal percentage in the Horizon League during the 2020-21 season (.452), propelling the Green and White to one of their most successful seasons in program history. In addition, Summers was instrumental in the development of forwards Torrey Patton, who was named to the Horizon League First Team, and Deante Johnson, a member of the All-Defensive Team.

“Rob Summers is one of the sharpest basketball minds in college basketball,” said CSU head coach Dennis Gates. “He automatically balances our staff in the areas of post development and offense. He has played, and worked, for two hall of fame coaches. I am looking forward to the impact he will have on our student-athletes both on and off the court and in this community.”

Summers returned to the James Madison program after serving as the head coach at Division II Urbana (Ohio), where he headed the program for three seasons. Prior to that, he acted as the Dukes’ director of operations for the 2013-14 season after a two-year stint at Glenville State, where he was the associate head coach and compliance coordinator.
 
A graduate of Gahanna Lincoln High School, Summers started a sterling collegiate career at Penn State, where he appeared in 56 games from 2002-04. After transferring to West Virginia, he played three seasons under Head Coach John Beilein, now the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“Being an Ohio guy, I am overjoyed at the opportunity that Coach Gates has provided for my family and I to return back home,” said Summers. “I’m excited to help him execute his vision for the Cleveland State basketball program. I look forward to bringing my experience as a head coach to CSU and helping to build a championship culture.

“I have gained a wealth of knowledge through my playing and coaching career, and I believe it has prepared me to be an outstanding coach, and mentor, for the student-athletes at Cleveland State.”

As a Mountaineer, Summers sat out due to transfer rules in 2004-05 as WVU reached the NCAA Elite Eight before making 33 appearances in 2005-06 en route to a berth in the NCAA Sweet 16. As a senior, he led WVU to a win in the NIT Championship, starting 36 games and shooting 63.3 percent from the field, a mark that still stands as the second-highest single-season percentage in WVU 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.