Kent State Mens Basketball Camps
Head Coach Rob Senderoff
On April 7, 2011 Rob Senderoff was named the 24th head coach in the 95-year history of Kent State basketball after spending seven previous years on the Golden Flashes coaching staff.
“It became clear fairly early in our coaching search that the most qualified candidate and the best choice to lead our program to even greater success in the future was Rob Senderoff,” said Kent State Director of Athletics Joel Nielsen. “Rob has been one of the cornerstones behind our long tradition of winning. He has proven ready to continue enhancing our program’s position as one of the nation’s very best both on the court and in the classroom.”
A 15-year coaching veteran, Senderoff brings a wealth of experience to the forefront of the Golden Flashes’ celebrated program. A staple of Kent State’s tradition of success, he has been part of the coaching staff for seven years, including the past three as the associate head coach.
“It is both a privilege and an honor to be named the head coach at Kent State and I want to start off by thanking University President Dr. Lester Lefton, Director of Athletics Joel Nielsen and sport supervisor Tom Kleinlein for giving me this great opportunity,” said Senderoff. “We have established a great tradition of success here and I am extremely excited about getting to work with the coaching staff and players in order to focus on carrying that tradition forward into the future.”
A proven national recruiter his track record speaks for itself. Senderoff has helped guide the Golden Flashes into the post season all seven years (2002-06; 2008-11) he has been associated with the program racking up 157 victories for an average of over 22 wins per year in the process. He has been on the sideline for three of the five Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular season titles in school history. Last season alone Kent State became the first MAC team in 21 years and just the second in 48 years to claimed a second consecutive outright regular season championship. The Golden Flashes capped off the year by advancing to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) quarterfinals.
An excellent on the floor coach, Senderoff has assumed the de facto role of offensive coordinator the last three seasons taking Kent State’s scoring to new heights under his watch. In 2010-11 the Golden Flashes poured in 2,626 points which trailed only the 2001-02 Elite Eight team for the highest single-season total in school history. In his first year back with the program in 2008-09 Senderoff helped orchestrate an offense that led the MAC in both scoring and field goal percentage. It was the first time since joining the league in 1951-52 that the program has led the conference in scoring.
Long known for his ability to develop post players, Senderoff transformed the play of 2011 MAC Player of the Year Justin Greene. Under his tutelage, Greene went from a 2.2 points per game scorer as a freshman to the nation’s most improved player in 2009-10 followed by an Honorable Mention All-American selection in 2010-11 after he led the team with 15.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
The 37-year old’s successes have not gone unnoticed. Fox Sports Senior Writer Jeff Goodman recognized him as the top assistant coach in the MAC and this past September while The Hoop Scoop rated him as one of the top 50 Mid-Major Assistants in the country. Coming in at No. 4 on the list, he was the only MAC assistant coach ranked in the top 25.
During Senderoff’s first stint on staff from 2002-06, the Golden Flashes went 89-40 (.690) and won three MAC East Division titles. After three straight NIT appearances, he helped KSU advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2005-06 as the team won both the MAC regular season and tournament titles with a 25-9 overall record. Senderoff spent the 2006-07 season at Indiana where he worked with All-Big Ten and preseason All-American D.J. White. While a member of the Hoosier’s staff, IU went 21-11 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He was also part of a staff that recruited The Hoop Scoop’s No. 1 recruiting class in the country in 2007.
With the Golden Flashes he had a critical role in the progression of 2004 First Team and MAC Defensive Player of the Year, John Edwards, who played in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers. Additionally at Kent State, Senderoff also coached All-MAC performer Antonio Gates who went on to become an All-Pro tight end for the San Diego Chargers.
A native of Spring Valley, N.Y., Senderoff began his coaching career as a student assistant at the University at Albany under legendary coach Richard “Doc” Sauers before moving on to the MAC as a graduate assistant at Miami from 1995-97 where he was part of a staff that helped develop NBA players Wally Szczerbiak and Ira Newble. Returning to the East Coast, he spent time at Fordham (1997-99), Yale (1999-2001) and Towson (2001-02) prior to joining the Golden Flashes staff.
Senderoff earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Albany in 1995 and a master’s in sports studies from Miami in 1997. He is married to the former Lauren Edelstein, and the couple has two daughters, Samantha (8) and Rachel (3).
