Rice hires former SMU coach Rob Lanier as next head coach

SMU Athletics

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The Rice Owls have named Rob Lanier as their next head mens basketball coach, replacing Scott Pera, who was dismissed after seven seasons leading the program.
Ishmael Johnson Ishmael Johnson

Rob Lanier wasn’t on the job hunt for that long.

Rice announced Sunday night that the program had named the former SMU coach as its next men’s basketball head coach after the dismissal of Scott Pera.

Lanier was 30-35 in his two-year stint on the Hilltop before SMU parted with the 55-year-old head coach less than five days prior to his announcement as the 26th head coach in Rice men's basketball history. Before SMU, Lanier was the head coach at Georgia State where he led the Panthers to the Round of 64 in the 2021-22 NCAA Tournament and went 53-30 in three seasons.

Lanier’s hire shows a distinct shift in direction for Rice men’s basketball. Rice never finished above 261st in the nation in defensive efficiency under Pera, per KenPom. SMU finished 76th in defensive efficiency this season and earned a bid to the NIT.

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