SMU cuts ties with second-year coach Lanier

Jeff Borzello, ESPN Personnel WriterMar 21, 2024, 03:26 PM ET

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• Basketball recruiting expert.
• Joined ESPN in 2014.
• Graduate of University of Delaware.SMU fired coach Rob Lanier

after simply 2 seasons on Thursday, the school announced.The Mustangs’ season ended Wednesday with a 101-92 loss to Indiana State in the NIT, concluding a season that included a 10-win improvement from his first season in charge.SMU went 20-13 this season, finishing fifth in the AAC at 11-7 in league play.

After beating Memphis by 27 points on Feb. 18 to improve to 19-7 general and 10-3 in AAC, the Mustangs lost six of their final games to end the season.”Our focus now turns to discovering a brand-new leader as we get ready for the next age

of SMU sports in the ACC,”athletic director Rick Hart said.In Lanier’s first season at the helm, SMU went 10-22 general and finished next-to-last in the AAC.Prior to taking over for Tim Jankovich in 2022, Lanier was the head coach at Georgia State for three seasons, leading the Panthers to the NCAA tournament in his final season. He was a long time assistant coach at the high-major level, spending quality time at Tennessee, Texas, Florida, Virginia and Rutgers. The New york city local was likewise the head coach of Siena from 2001 to ’05, going to the 2002 NCAA tournament.SMU is one of three schools signing up with the ACC in the summer, along with Stanford and Cal.