HOUSTON — Less than two weeks after Rice parted ways with head basketball coach Scott Pera, the school named his replacement.
On Sunday, Rice athletic director Tommy McClelland announced that Rob Lanier will take over as head coach of the program. He’ll be formally introduced at a news conference on Tuesday.
Lanier has more than three decades of head coaching experience, including stops at Sienna, Georgia State and SMU. Teams he’s coached have made 12 NCAA Tournaments.
He comes to Rice from SMU, where he was at the helm as the Mustangs compiled a 20-13 record, earning the No. 2 seed in the American Athletic Conference tournament. According to ESPN, Lanier was dismissed from the team late last week.
Before becoming a head coach, Lanie served on the staffs of Rick Barnes and Billy Donovan.
Lanier's playing days were at St. Bonaventure. He was a four-year letterman and three-year starter with the Bonnies. Lanier, who was team captain in his senior season, scored 868 points in his career. He graduated from St. Bonaventure with a psychology degree in 1990, then got his master’s degree from Niagara in education counseling.
