The Rutgers women’s basketball program welcomed Geoff Lanier to the Scarlet Knight staff as the recruiting assistant in September of 2019. A women’s basketball coaching veteran, Lanier has spent time as an assistant and recruiting coordinator with teams in the Big Ten, Atlantic Coast and Mid-American Conferences.
Lanier enters his third season with the Scarlet Knights, stepping into an acting assistant coaching role. His first recruiting class (2020) was ranked No. 5 in the nation by Blue Star Basketball and No. 8 nationally by ESPN, and unanimously the No. 1 recruiting class in the Big Ten - led by the signing of the No. 6 overall prospect in the country and overall four players ranked in the Top 55. He spent the 2018-19 campaign as an assistant coach at Penn State where he directed all domestic and international recruiting efforts in addition to developing the Lady Lions combo guards and wings. His efforts helped Penn State land the No. 18 recruiting class in the nation as ranked by ESPNW HoopGurlz during the November 2018 signing period.
Prior to arriving in Happy Valley, Lanier spent two seasons as an assistant at Cincinnati working with the Bearcat posts, which included 2018 American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and five-time Freshman of the Week Ilmar’l Thomas and 2017 AAC Newcomer of the Year Shanice Johnson. Lanier was on the sidelines as Cincinnati captured back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2005, including a WNIT postseason appearance in 2018.
Lanier also served four seasons on the Kent State staff as an assistant and helped to develop four all-conference selections, including 2017 MAC Player of the Year and all-time leading 3-point scorer Larissa Lurken. Also the recruiting coordinator for the Golden Flash, he put together a top-three recruiting class in the MAC in 2014 and managed to welcome 16 signees during his first 18 months on campus.
Also spending time in the ACC, Lanier helped Boston College to two postseason berths, including a 2009 WNIT semifinal appearance, and six Top 25 victories during his three seasons in Chestnut Hill. During his first season, the Eagles captured its best finish in ACC history and followed with a pair of ACC Tournament game victories for the first time in program history. Under his tutelage, Carolyn Swords, a top 15 WNBA draftee, became the program’s second all-time leading scorer and all-time leading rebounder, as well as a three-time All-ACC honoree. On the recruiting front, Lanier put together a 2010 class that was ranked as high as No. 11.
Lanier's career also included assistant coach and recruiting coordinator stops at Ohio University and the University of Akron. With the Bobcats, Lanier helped Ohio to the largest turnaround in program history with a 20-win season in 2007-09 and advance to its first MAC Championship game in 22 years in 2007-08.
Previously Lanier was the head coach at North Dakota State College of Science where he compiled a record of 109-49 - including a school-record 27 victories in 2002-03. A three-time Region Coach of the Year, Lanier’s squads played their way to the National Junior College Athletics Association Region XIII championships in three of his last four seasons. In addition to his women's basketball head coaching duties, Lanier also was the Director of Athletes at NDSCS.
Other stops for Lanier included the top assistant and assistant facilities coordinator at the University of Chicago as well as an assistant position with Washington College in Maryland.
Lanier earned a bachelor's degree in Physical Education from Southern Connecticut State University and holds a master's degree in Psychology from Washington College.
He and his wife, Kim, have one daughter, Madison, a University of West Florida graduate and alumna of the Argonauts softball program.
