Daniyal Robinson Named UNT Basketball Head Coach

[cousin oliver]

DENTON, Texas – Daniyal Robinson, who has guided Cleveland State to 65 victories and three postseason appearances in his three seasons as head coach, has been named UNT basketball’s 20th head coach, Vice President and Director of Athletics Jared Mosley announced Sunday.

 

“I’m excited to welcome Daniyal Robinson to UNT as our next head men’s basketball coach,” Mosley said. “Daniyal is a defensive focused coach who has a reputation as a great recruiter and builder of young men.  His track record of success at Cleveland State speaks for itself with three straight 20-win seasons in this chaotic NIL environment.  He’s learned from some of the best coaches in the business it was clear in our conversations that he has a detailed plan to ensure continued momentum and success at the national level. We look forward to welcoming Daniyal, his wife Kim, and three children — Devyn, Reece and Reid to Denton.”

 

Robinson took over as head coach at Cleveland State in 2022 and led the Vikings to a 65-42 record over his three seasons, the most over three years by a coach in program history. Over that period, he coached 11 All-Horizon honorees and two league award winners.

 

"I am deeply honored to join the North Texas family and lead the Mean Green men's basketball program,” Robinson said. “My heartfelt gratitude goes to President Keller, athletic director Jared Mosley and entire the Mean Green community for entrusting me with this incredible opportunity.

 

“I am committed to building young men of character, while continuing the growth and excellence of one of the top programs in the American Athletic Conference. There is a strong foundation in place, and I know we have what it takes to continue to win championships. Go Mean Green!”

 

CSU finished the 2024-25 season with 23 victories a second-place finish in the Horizon League, including 14 conference wins, and a runner-up performance in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI).

 

He was named a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award given annually to the nation’s top minority head coach for the second time in his career. The Vikings had Horizon Sixth Man of the Year Chase Robinson and Freshman of the Year Je’Shawn Stevenson along with seven all-conference honorees.

 

Cleveland State was the Horizon’s top defense team last season, holding opponents to 66.5 ppg while finishing first in turnovers forced per game, and second in blocks, steals and opponent field goal percentage. The 15.17 turnovers created per game by CSU’s defense ranked 13th nationally.

 

Robinson guided the Vikings to another 20-win season in 2023-24, finishing 21-15 overall and 11-9 in Horizon League play. He became the first coach in CSU history to record consecutive 20-win seasons to start his tenure. The Vikings made their fourth straight Horizon League semifinal appearance and returned to the CBI, setting a program record with a fourth consecutive postseason berth.

 

Forward Tristan Enaruna earned first-team all-league honors before signing a free-agent contract with the Boston Celtics.

 

In his first season, Robinson led the Vikings to a 21-14 overall record and a 14-6 Horizon League mark, finishing third in the conference. The team reached the Horizon League Tournament Championship Game and secured a program-first berth in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). The 21 victories were the most by a first-year coach in Cleveland State history.

 

Defensively, CSU ranked in the top five in all major statistical categories within the Horizon League, holding opponents to just over 70 points per game.

 

Robinson coached three all-league performers in his first season, including first-team honoree Enaruna, who averaged 17.4 points per game and shot 54% from the field. Deshon Parker and Deante Johnson were named to the all-defensive team, with CSU being the only school with multiple selections. Johnson earned all-defensive honors for the third consecutive season.

 

Robinson arrived at CSU with more than 21 years of Division I coaching experience, including multiple NCAA Tournament appearances. He spent time as an assistant at Iowa State, helping the Cyclones win two Big 12 Tournaments and make four NCAA Tournament appearances, including Sweet 16 runs in 2016 and 2021. During his time there, he coached 12 future NBA players, including Tyrese Haliburton and Talen Horton-Tucker.

 

Robinson also had coaching stops at Loyola Chicago, Houston, Illinois State, and his alma mater, Arkansas-Little Rock. He helped Loyola win the CBI title in 2015 and played a key role in developing multiple NBA prospects.

 

As a player, Robinson starred at Indian Hills Community College before transferring to Arkansas-Little Rock, where he earned a bachelor's degree in health education in 1999.

 

Robinson and his wife, Kim, have three children: Devyn, Reece and Reid. Devyn played volleyball at Wisconsin, while Reece was a freshman forward on the Cleveland State team in 2024-25.

 

UNT retained Collegiate Sports Associates to conduct an extensive national search for head coach candidates. Robinson’s hire is contingent upon completion of the university background check process and Board of Regents approval.

 

COACHING HISTORY

2000-03: Arkansas-Little Rock, graduate assistant

2003-07: Illinois State, assistant coach

2007-08: Arkansas-Little Rock, assistant coach/recruiting coordinator

2008-10: Iowa State, assistant coach

2010-13: Houston, assistant coach/recruiting coordinator

2013-15: Loyola Chicago, associate head coach

2015-22: Iowa State, assistant coach

2022-25: Cleveland State, head coach

2025-present: UNT, head coach

 

YEAR-BY-YEAR HEAD COACHING RECORD

Year                 Overall             Conf.                Finish              Postseason

2022-23            21-14                14-6                  t-2nd                 CBI First Round

2023-24            21-15                11-9                 t-7^th                  CBI Quarterfinals

2024-25            23-13                14-6                 t-2^nd                  CBI Runner-Up

TOTAL             65-42 (.607)      39-21 (.650)

[BleedingGreen]

Welcome Coach Robinson and family !!

[BleedingGreen]

I like that he goes after “character guys” and I like that they do well in the classroom.  To me , a total package  player like that translates to the court .

[UNTLifer]

Welcome Coach. Let’s get after it. 

[Marty]

Welcome aboard Coach Robinson!

[MeanGreenTexan]

Yes!

This is the exact kind of guy I was hoping for.

Welcome Coach Robinson!

[Matt from A700]

I like that he has already been in this situation before. He took the job at Cleveland State from Iowa State, and after CSU had already put up a couple of good seasons including an NCAAT appearance. Instead of a down time, he upheld the winning culture. If you like 20+ wins and postseason tournament appearances, I don't think it's unrealistic to expect that again in 2025-26. Now get to The Pit and support!

[UNT Family Man]

Glad you are coming here to lead the Mean Green 

[BigChiefGMG]

Already ready to renew season tickets. Let’s get it

[97and03]

None of us have a clue how this will turn out, but I am pretty happy with this hire. Glad we got someone with experience running a relatively successful mid-major program in the current transfer happy climate. 

[VideoEagle]

Everything I read suggests this guy is both a tireless and successful recruiter. In the Age of Annual Rebuild, that is vital. This guy sounds like a very good fit.

[Big Z]

Channel 4 announced the new coach this morning 

[NorthTexasWeLove]

I don't want to come off as exaggerant, but I believe this is the most important hire in the history of UNT athletics. I hope Jared knew what he was doing. 

[Green with Envy]

Woops 

[Matt from A700]

1 hour ago, Green with Envy said:

Woops 

Where is the 'yawn' react emoji? Lol. Underpaid graphics guy getting in his feelings about his unoriginal design.

[Ross Hodgeson]

Doesn't look the same to me.  Dumb

[GMGGWBG]

Welcome to Denton and to the University of North Texas! 

We look forward to seeing him continue winning with our basketball program by continuing the focus on defense AND recruiting!  Go Mean Green 💚 

[C Rod]

Welcome to the Mean Green family, Coach D Rob. Excited to have you.

Let's hope this opportunity takes us all to new heights. 🦅🏀 Go Mean Green!

[Tommy Gadberry]

Welcome Coach Danny!

[MeanGreenTexan]

4 hours ago, Green with Envy said:

Woops 

Looks like our graphics guy received the Regents Award for Outstanding Copy/Pasting at the Luncheon last week.
Sheesh, at least change the "Welcome" font.

[NT93]

35 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Looks like our graphics guy received the Regents Award for Outstanding Copy/Pasting at the Luncheon last week.
Sheesh, at least change the "Welcome" font.

At least it doesn’t have “To The Pit” under Welcome🤣🤣🤣

[greenminer]

I have all the feels about this one.

"Shut up dude, it wasn't that original or good in the first place."

"This is not a good look on our team.  Copying is copying."

Here's another thought: this was a template in a (Adobe?) program, and our team had to move fast and didn't bother seeing if it was already used by another school that happened to have green in their branding.