Rob Lanier

Lanier played his college basketball at St. Bonaventure, where he scored 868 career points and was named to the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Freshman Team.[2][3]

Lanier's first coaching stop was at Niagara as an assistant for two seasons before moving back to an assistant coaching spot at his alma mater. After a two-year stop at Rutgers, Lanier joined Rick Barnes's staff at Texas.[4] In 2001, he was hired for his first head coaching job at Siena where in his first season at the helm, he guided the Saints to a MAAC conference tournament championship and spot in the 2002 NCAA tournament where they defeated Alcorn State in the opening round, and lost to eventual national champion Maryland in the first round.[5][6] He'd also lead Siena to a 2003 NIT appearance where the Saints advanced to the third round with wins over Western Michigan and Villanova. After four seasons and a 58–70 record, Lanier was fired by Siena.[7]

Lanier would join the coaching staffs at Virginia and Florida before reuniting with Barnes at both Texas and Tennessee.[2] On April 5, 2019 Lanier was named the head coach at Georgia State, replacing Ron Hunter who accepted the head coaching position at Tulane.

Coach Lanier went 53-30 in 3 seasons at Georgia State until he accepted the head coach position at SMU on March 27, 2022. [8][9]

Lanier is the cousin of former NBA player and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Bob Lanier.[2] Lanier's son Emory plays basketball for Southern Methodist University. [10]