Rice Basketball has its next head coach, officially naming Rob Lanier to the position on Tuesday after a whirlwind search that concluded rapidly.
Twelve days ago Athletic Director Tommy McClelland met with assembled media and announced Rice basketball was making a leadership change, embarking on a national search immediately. Interviews began as the shortlist was whittled down. Then a curveball came: Rob Lanier “became available”. Two days later he and McClelland were in contact. On Tuesday, he was introduced.
The last week has been a blur. Lanier admitted as much, but the end result might just be a tremendous advance for everyone involved. “I didn’t see this coming,” Lanier said of his dismissal at SMU. “But there’s a reason why I was attracted to this as soon as the name was mentioned. I didn’t imagine it would happen, but I couldn’t have been happier that it did.”
McClelland quickly came to the same conclusion, summing up the hiring on Tuesday like this: “One thing became very clear to be during these conversations, that Rob Lanier the right fit, the right person, the right coach and the right visionary leader we had been looking for from the very beginning.”
Lanier will bring with him top assistant Chris Kreider, who previously served as an assistant at Rice from 2017 to 2019 before joining Lanier’s staff at Georgia State and eventually moving with him to SMU. Lanier’s son, Emory, will also join the team for his final season of eligibility. Emory was one of eight players to play in every game for the Mustangs last season.
As for the decision to pull the trigger and hire Lanier, McClelland acted with intentionality. He made a list, he said, the day the search began. He disclosed the items on that list on Tuesday, describing what his ideal candidate would look like:
- A person of high integrity
- A driven leader with an intensity for developing winning culture
- A coach with a clear identity regarding style of play
- An emphasis on community involvement, campus, alumni and Houston
- Proven head coach experience
- A program builder
- Texas ties
- Private school experience
As he sums it up, “These qualities and attributes aligned with coach Lanier, his character, how he leads his program and what he has accomplished in his career has led me to this day,” the announcement of Lanier as the program’s next head coach.
A few additional segments of the press conference are featured below. The full version is available here:
Rice AD Tommy McClelland details the search process and describes how the Owls landed on Lanier. pic.twitter.com/WZC09usdU5
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) March 26, 2024
What was @RiceMBB looking for in its next head coach? McClelland shares his wishlist and makes it clear Lanier checked all the right boxes. pic.twitter.com/z2JhhJOzti
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) March 26, 2024
Why Rice? Lanier details how the culture of the university mirrors what he wants his program to represent.
"I don't want to be in a silo. I want to be a part of a community." pic.twitter.com/iNE7h9wshd
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) March 26, 2024
BRB Gonna go run through a wall for @RiceMBB coach Rob Lanier.
"We're gonna win. It ain't a hope. It ain't a dream. It's a reality.
"We're going to be one of the best defensive teams in the country. That's a fact." pic.twitter.com/nqCRtuRMWe
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) March 26, 2024
