According to the NCAA less than 2% of Division One college Men’s Basketball players and athletes go pro, making it imperative their athletic influences do everything in their power, to develop the whole athlete both on and off the court. Especially considering there athletica lifespan is fleeting at best. no one knows that more then Chris Kreider. He’s one of the new assistant coaches for SMU Men’s Basketball.
Chris Kreider was named an assistant coach by Head Coach Rob Lanier in April of 2022. Kreider brings 20 years of coaching experience to the Hilltop, including the past three seasons as an assistant coach for Lanier at Georgia State.
In his three seasons at Georgia State, the Panthers went 53-30, winning the Sun Belt Tournament in 2022 and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers also made the Sun Belt Tournament final in 2021. Additionally, he led GSU to a victory over Georgia Tech, the program’s first win over an ACC opponent. The Panthers also claimed the 2019-20 2K Empire Classic Riverside Regional.
He was previously at Rice from 2017-19, where he helped recruit classes ranked fourth (2018) and third (2019) in C-USA according to 247 Sports. Guard Chris Mullins was named to the 2018-19 C-USA All-Freshman Team by both the league’s head coaches and media. Additionally, eight Owls were named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll in each of his two seasons on staff. Guard Connor Cashaw capped his junior campaign in 2017-18 earning a spot on the C-USA All-Academic Team.
Prior to his tenure at Rice, Kreider spent two seasons (2015-17) at Virginia Military Institute, serving as the recruiting coordinator and post coach. Kreider’s career also includes four seasons at George Mason (2011-15), where he helped the Patriots to a pair of 20-plus win seasons and a run to the CBI championship series in 2012 before the program transitioned to the Atlantic 10 in 2012-13. The 2011 incoming class was ranked the No. 10 mid-major class by ESPN.com before the Patriots inked one of the top recruiting classes in the A-10 in 2014.
He’s in the trenches every day developing athletes, their character, and helping them to see that there is life after basketball. He joined me this week to have a conversation about the coach athlete relationship, developing trust and maximizing athletic and personal potential in his players.
Follow: @CoachKreider
Email: ckreider@smu.edu
