SMU is reported to be moving into the basketball-rich Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024, membership in a new conference, after the Mustangs ended their final season.
SMU has reportedly fired coach Rob Lanier ahead of its ACC move https://t.co/l8zJtuDGHA
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 21, 2024
On Wednesday, The Mustangs ended their season with a 101-92 loss to Indiana State in the NIT, finishing 20–13 this season in their final campaign in the American Athletic Conference.
Following, ESPN reported on Thursday, that SMU had fired coach Rob Lanier after just two seasons, per sources. Under Lanier, the Mustangs recorded 30-35 overall in their two seasons, including a 16-20 record in American Athletic Conference games.
The veteran coach holds 141–135 career records across nine Division I seasons between Siena, Georgia State, and the Mustangs. He also led the Saints to the NCAA tournament in 2002 and the Panthers in ’22.
Lanier in his first season with SMU posted 10-22 overall, and they finished next-to-last in the AAC. This season, SMU went 20-13, finishing fifth in the AAC at 11-7 in league play.
They managed to beat Memphis by 27 points on Feb. 18 to improve to 19-7 overall and 10-3 in AAC, the Mustangs lost six of their final games to end the season.
The school’s athletic director, Rick Hart, shared after the news broke out,
“Our focus now turns to finding a new leader as we prepare for the next era of SMU athletics in the ACC”
Hart added the contribution of Lanier and his staff with positivity and said they operated with integrity and in the best interests of the university and its athletes.
Lanier was hired back in 2022, which was 20 years after he took Siena to the tournament, he had replaced Tim Jankovich, who retired after six seasons as the Mustangs head coach.
