Cleveland State hires Iowa State assistant Robinson as coach

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland State is hiring longtime Iowa State assistant Daniyal Robinson as its next coach — its fourth in five years.

Robinson, who spent seven seasons over two stints with the Cyclones, will be introduced at a news conference Wednesday on Cleveland State's campus.

Robinson replaces Dennis Gates, who turned Cleveland State around in three seasons before leaving last month to take over Missouri's floundering program.

Robinson worked under Greg McDermott, Steve Prohm and T.J. Otzelberger at Iowa State. He was credited with helping the Cyclones land several top recruits and was regarded as one of the top assistants in the Big 12.

Cleveland State launched a national search for a new coach after Gates accepted the job at Missouri last month. Among the other candidates: Gonzaga assistant Roger Powell and Dru Joyce III, a close friend of LeBron James and an assistant under Gates at Cleveland State. It's not yet known whether Joyce will be retained on Robinson's staff.

Taking over a program in shambles, Gates led the Vikings to the NCAA Tournament in his second season and to back-to-back Horizon League regular-season titles the past two years.

Robinson will inherit a much better situation than Gates walked into. Cleveland State has made a renewed commitment to upgrading its athletic program. But one of Robinson's first tasks could be convincing some of the Vikings players to stay. On Tuesday, star guard Tre Gomillion announced on Twitter that he intends to enter the transfer portal.

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