MACOMB, Ill. (NEWS3) — Western Illinois University Athletic Department announced Monday the next men’s basketball head coach.
Director of Athletics Danielle Surprenant said in a release Rob Jeter will be the 21st coach in program history.
Jeter has 25 years of coaching experience and seven NCAA Tournament appearances.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have Rob as our next head men’s basketball coach,” Surprenant said. “Rob brings so much experience with him. He has seen success as both a head coach and assistant, and his drive and passion for the game are contagious. His recruiting ties, especially in the Midwest, and his vision and direction for the program were exactly what we were looking for. I’m ecstatic to see where he will lead our men’s basketball program.”
“I’d first like to thank Dr. Martin Abraham and Danielle Surprenant for such an incredible opportunity in trusting me to lead the men’s basketball program,” Jeter said. “My family and I are excited join the Leatherneck family and the Macomb community. I’m looking forward to serving our student-athletes and Western Illinois University. I’m especially excited to meet our players and their families and connect with our alums and student body. Together, we will accomplish great things. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.”
Jeter played at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville under Bo Ryan from 1987 to 1991. He was inducted into the UW-Platteville Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006 and was also inducted into the inaugural hall of fame class for the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He became a three-time HOFer in 2013 when Platteville’s 1991 national championship team received the school’s highest honor.
He’s held a handful of assistant coaching jobs at UW-Platteville (1994-1998), Marquette (1998-1999), UW-Milwaukee (1999-2001), UW-Madison (2001-2005), University of Nevada at Las Vegas (2016-2018) and Minnesota (2018-2020).
Jeter earned his first head coaching job in 2005 when he took over for Bruce Pearl at UW-Milwaukee. He guided the Panthers to two Horizon League regular season championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances as the conference tournament champions. Jeter was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year in 2011, but fired five years later.
Jeter, 50, went 184-170 during his 11 seasons at Milwaukee.
The WIU men’s basketball team had a record of 53-115 in six seasons under former Billy Wright.
