Report

This is one I found on him from Iowa State. Interesting that he had a connection with James Dickey. ------------------------ Daniyal Robinson (dan-yell) recently completed his seventh season at Iowa State after serving as an assistant coach for T.J. Otzelberger and Steve from from 20215-22. It was Robinson's second stint in Ames after previously serving on Greg McDermott's staff from 2008-10. Following the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, Robinson was named head coach at Cleveland State. Robinson's second stint at Iowa State saw the Cyclones win two Big 12 Tournaments and advance to the NCAA Tournament four times, including 2016 and 2022 Sweet 16 trips. In his two stops in Ames, Robinson saw 13 Cyclones reach the NBA, including lottery pick Tyrese Haliburton in 2020. Respected as one of the nation's top assistant coaches, Robinson was named to Stadium’s 2020 list of the top-five Big 12 assistant coaches. The Cyclones posted multiple memorable wins the last seven seasons, including a 2017 victory at No. 3 Kansas that snapped the Jayhawks' 51-game win streak at Allen Fieldhouse. Iowa State also collected the school's second-ever win against a top-ranked foe when it disposed of Oklahoma at Hilton Coliseum in 2016. ISU came-from-behind to defeat Iowa, rallying from 20 points down in the second half to beat the Hawkeyes. In 2018-19, they earned the two largest margins of victory in road games against nationally ranked foes (Ole Miss and Kansas State). The Cyclones spent much of his tenure nationally ranked, rising to as high as No. 4, and finishing inside the top 25 twice. There has been no shortage of recognition for the student-athletes the last seven seasons. Marial Shayok, Georges Niang and Monté Morris were selected as All-Americans. Niang was also a recipient of the 2016 Karl Malone Award, which is given annually to the nation's top power forward. Since 2016, ISU has had a finalist for the Julius Erving Award, the Karl Malone Award and the Bob Cousy Award. In total, ISU players have been named to All-Big 12 teams 21 times the last seven seasons. Iowa State’s recruiting classes have flourished during Robinson’s tenure. He has helped the Cyclones sign the university’s top-two recruiting classes since 2005 according to 247sports. Along with five signees ranked in ESPN’s Top 100, Robinson is credited with recruiting Chicago native Talen Horton-Tucker to Iowa State. Horton-Tucker was the No. 46 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and became ISU’s first NBA World Champion with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. In 2020, Robinson founded the Black Assistant Coaches Alliance (BACA). BACA’s efforts are focused on educating, unifying, serving and supporting Big 12 student-athletes and coaches while maintaining an inclusive environment for all. Under his leadership, ISU student-athletes have benefited from initiatives that include: voter education and registration, financial literacy education, law enforcement engagement and leadership skills training, in addition to many other diversity and civic engagement opportunities. Robinson was selected to participate in the 2018 NCAA Champion Forum for Basketball, a professional development program targeting the rising stars of the next generation of head coaches. He gained valuable experience by working directly with school administrators and decision makers while obtaining key tools to fine-tune coaching philosophies. Robinson returned to the Iowa State staff after two seasons at Loyola (Chicago) in which he helped the Ramblers to 24 wins and the College Basketball Invitational title in 2014-15. Robinson was also a mentor off the court, starting the Ramblers For Education program, which linked Loyola student-athletes to the community. In 2015, Robinson joined some of the nation’s top up-and-coming coaches as he was selected to join the Achieving Coaching Excellence (ACE) program, which is sponsored by the NCAA and the BCA. Robinson was trained in professional development, program management, communication, marketing, media relations and leadership, all while working with some of the nation's most successful coaches and administrators. During his first stint at Iowa State, Robinson was key in the development of three future NBA players in Diante Garrett, Justin Hamilton and Craig Brackins, who was an All-American and the No. 21 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. After leaving Iowa State in 2010, Robinson worked at Houston under head coach James Dickey until 2013. He helped TaShawn Thomas develop into one of the premier players in Conference USA. Thomas later transferred to Oklahoma, where he earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors in 2015. The Cougars advanced to the CBI quarterfinals in 2013. Robinson, a Rock Island, Illinois, native, also coached at Illinois State and his alma mater, Arkansas-Little Rock. The Trojans won the Sun Belt Conference West Division title and earned their first 20-win season in 2007-08. At Illinois State, Robinson coached the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, MVC Newcomer of the Year and MVC Most Improved Player during his tenure. Robinson played at Indian Hills Community College before transferring to UALR. He was a second team all-region honoree at Indian Hills, where he helped the Warriors to a 35-4 mark during the 1995-96 season. Indian Hills finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA poll that season and advanced to the national tournament. At Iowa State, Robinson serves on the athletics department's Cultural Humility Committee, a group of employees that participates in educational trainings with a goal of achieving cultural humility within the department. Robinson earned his bachelor’s degree in health education from Arkansas-Little Rock in 1999. He is married to Kim and the couple has three children – Devyn, Reece and Reid.

So is the program actually better off today, after Hodge, than what McCasland left 3 years ago? i.e., championships, growth in attendance, roster, marketability (team profile)?

He looks pale as a zombie

What makes you say that? Maybe he realized he doesn’t have a career past college and is cashing in as best possible. I don’t like it but I can see many kids doing this.

Record at Cleveland State: 42-29 (2 seasons) Record as a Head Coach: 42-29 (2 season) Daniyal Robinson was named as the 17th head coach of Cleveland State men's basketball on Wednesday, April 6, 2022. "After a very thorough national search for our next head coach, I am pleased to have Daniyal, his wife Kim and their three children Devyn, Reece and Reid, join our team," shared former CSU Athletic Director Scott Garrett. "Daniyal's vision for CSU basketball fully aligns with our foundation of championship success in the classroom, in the community and on the court. We look forward to fully supporting Coach Robinson's success and to continuing our accelerating momentum under his leadership." "Daniyal Robinson's core values and lifelong commitment to developing student-athletes both on and off the court embody what we are all about at CSU," former Cleveland State President Harlan Sands added. "He is the right leader at the right time for us, and both Scott Garrett and I look forward to working with him on further advancing the upward trajectory of our men's basketball program." In his first year at the helm, Robinson led the Vikings to a 21-14 overall record and a 14-6 mark in conference play. The Vikings finished third in the Horizon League standings and recorded a third consecutive season of 20 wins or more. Cleveland State made a run to the Horizon League Touranment Championship Game and finished as the runnner-up. The Vikings reached the postseason for the third consecutive season, earning a spot in the College Basketball Invitational for the first time in school history. Cleveland State experienced success on the defensive end of the floor in Robinson's inaugurual season. The Vikings finished in the top five in every major defensive statistical category in Horizon League games. Cleveland State held opponents to just over 70 points per game in conference play, good for third-best in the league. Robinson mentored three all-league performers in his first season, with Tristan Enaruna earning first-team honors. Enaruna averaged 17.4 points per game in conference play and finished fourth in the league shooting 54 percent from the floor. In addition, Deshon Parker and Deante Johnson were both named to the league's all-defensive team. Cleveland State was the only school with multiple players named to the all-defensive team, and Johnson earned a spot for a third consecutive season. Robinson continued that success in his second year in charge of the program, leading Cleveland State to a second consecutive season of 20 wins or more as the Vikings finished 21-15 overall in 2023-24. Robinson became the first head coach in Cleveland State history to win 20 or more games in his first two seasons, and it marked a third consecutive year of 20 or more victories for the program overall. Cleveland State finished 11-9 in Horizon League play and made the program's fourth consecutive appearance in the semifinal round of the league tournament in Indianapolis. Cleveland State appeared in the College Basketball Invitational for a second year in a row, securing a program record fourth consecutive postseason appearance. Tristan Enaruna continued his outstanding play in his final season at CSU, earning first-team all-league honors for the second year in a row. Enaruna ranked in the top 10 in an array of statistical categories and signed a free agent contract with the NBA's Boston Celtics to continue his basketball career at the professional level. Robinson joined the Vikings as a veteran of the coaching ranks with over 21 years of experience at the NCAA Division I level and multiple trips to the NCAA tournament, including a run with Iowa State to this year's Sweet Sixteen. "My family and I are very excited about this opportunity here at Cleveland State," Robinson said. "When I met with President Sands and Scott, I knew that this was the place that we wanted to be. The shared values that President Sands and Scott have, the program where it is at, they have done it together the last three years and our goal here is to continue to build on the success that CSU has had and the foundation that was set. We want to build our young men on and off the court. We are very excited for the opportunity. Go Vikes!" Respected as one of the nation's top assistant coaches, Robinson concluded his second stint at Iowa State where he has seen the Cyclones win two Big 12 Tournaments and advance to the NCAA Tournament four times, which includes runs to the Sweet 16 in 2016 and 2021. Over his two stops with the Cyclones, Robinson has helped coach 12 student-athletes to the NBA, a list that includes lottery pick Tyrese Haliburton in 2020 and 2019 second-rounder and NBA Champion Talen Horton-Tucker. The Cyclones have spent much of his tenure nationally ranked, reaching as high as No. 4 in the country, and finishing inside the top-25 three times, which includes a rank of No. 23 in the nation to close the 2021-22 campaign. Robinson returned to Iowa State for the 2015-16 year after two seasons at Loyola (Chicago). There he helped lead the Ramblers to 24 wins and the College Basketball Invitational title in 2014-15. During his first stint at Iowa State, Robinson was a key part in the development of three future NBA players, which includes Craig Brackins, an All-American student-athlete and the No. 21 pick in the 2010 NBA draft, Diante Garrett and Justin Hamilton. Robinson, a Rock Island, Illinois native also had coaching stops at Houston, Illinois State and his alma mater, Arkansas-Little Rock. Off the court, Robinson founded and currently chairs the Black Assistant Coaches Alliance (BACA) and he started the Ramblers for Education program, which linked Loyola student-athletes and the Chicago community. He also served on the Iowa State athletic department's Cultural Humility Committee, a group of employees that participates in educational trainings with a goal of achieving cultural humility within the department. Robinson was a student-athlete at Indian Hills Community College before transferring to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He was a Second Team All-Region honoree at Indian Hills, where he helped lead the Warriors to a 35-4 record during the 1995-96 season. Indian Hills finished the regular-season ranked as the No. 1 team in the NJCAA poll that year and advanced to the national championship tournament. He graduated from Arkansas-Little Rock in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in health education. Robinson is joined in Cleveland by his wife Kim and three children – Devyn, Reece and Reid. Devyn is currently a standout on the Wisconsin women's volleyball team. WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT HEAD COACH DANIYAL ROBINSON: PORTER MOSER – HEAD COACH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA "Daniyal Robinson was with me from the beginning of my head coaching career and helped me build three different programs. He was integral in setting the foundation and building a championship program at Loyola. Daniyal is a hard-working, high-character, energetic coach who has an amazing impact on developing young men. He has an unbelievable gift in bringing people together on and off the court. He has the ability to combine love, trust and accountability as well as anyone that I have ever seen in this profession. Cleveland State is not only getting a great head basketball coach, but they are getting a great person, a great family man and an unbelievable family in the Robinsons." CRAIG ROBINSON – PRESIDENT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BASKETBALL COACHES "I couldn't be happier for both Daniyal and Cleveland St. The Vikings are getting an excellent up and coming young coach who will lead with character and integrity to go along with his passion for young people. While Daniyal has a great opportunity to start his career with a program that has been and will continue to be successful." TJ OTZELBERGER – HEAD COACH AT IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY "Daniyal is a proven leader, winner and man of character. He is elite at cultivating meaningful relationships that enhance each student-athletes college experience. This is a home run hire for Cleveland State and I look forward to following the future success of the Vikings men's basketball program." JAMIE POLLARD – DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS AT IOWA STATE "Coach Robinson is a tremendous husband, father and coach, who has played an important role in Iowa State's basketball success during the seven years he has been on our staff, and I am excited for him to have the opportunity to lead the Cleveland State program. I know how hard he has worked and prepared for this moment. I believe it speaks volumes to Daniyal's character and abilities that he was able to work for three different head coaches during his time with the Cyclones, that's rare in today's world. Cleveland State will find Danyial to be a connector who fosters outstanding relationships not only with his players, but externally within the community as well. Coach Robinson and his family will be great additions to the Cleveland State family, and I look forward to cheering the Vikings on from Ames." SHAKA SMART – HEAD COACH AT MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY "Daniyal is a terrific hire. He's got a great basketball mind, builds very close connections with players, and is a tireless recruiter. I'm very excited to root for the program he builds at Cleveland State!"