Senderoff legacy lives on at Kent State

On Friday morning, news started to break that long time Kent State Men's Basketball Head Coach Rob Senderoff was staying in Portage County.

After entertaining a very serious offer to become the next Head Coach at Fordham University, Sendy was staying home.

For the last 14 years as Head Coach, and 21 of the last 23 seasons, Senderoff has been involved in some capacity in a lot of winning for the Golden Flashes.

Kent State just concluded the 2024-2025 season Wednesday night with an NIT Quarterfinal loss at Loyola, capping a 24-12 season. The ultimate prize of the NCAA Tournament alluded Kent State this year, but a run in the prestigious NIT was fun and appreciated.

Rob's track record as the Blue and Gold bench boss has been tremendous. The all time wins leader in program history, Sendy has 288 wins at KSU, which also ranks sixth in MAC history.

He's led two trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and 2023. His teams have won 20 or more games nine times, and he's never had a losing season in Kent. He's one of three coaches in the country with a minimum of ten seasons coached never to have had a losing season, joining Tom Izzo and Mark Few. Let that sink in. Right here at Kent State.

Kent State has taken down seven power five opponents during his tenure, most recently Stanford in an NIT victory this past week. It was Kent State's first ACC win in over 20 years.

There's plenty of tangible wins and things that can be pointed out on his resume, many milestones and achievements.

But some of the greatest "wins' have come in other forms. Rob has helped turn boys into men. He's helped mentor a lot of first generation college graduates. His coaching tree that he's developed is impressive. Kent State is a place where players want to be at, and coaches want to coach at.

His teams have been apart of several social initiatives and he's lobbied against racial injustice. He's one of the best clinicians in the country. As a high school coach myself, his clinics, and DVD's are must watch.

His players graduate, and many of them go onto play professionally. He sets his players up for success after graduation.

Kent State has seen previous coaches move on to more lucrative programs. Senderoff has been the glue to the program for years. He's dug in for 14 years and built a legacy.

He's been knocked down too. NCAA violations at Indiana under Kelvin Sampson cost him his job in 2008, and potentially his career. Wondering if he would ever coach again, Kent State gave him an opportunity to come back into coaching under Geno Ford in 2008. He's an example that you can get knocked down, and get back up, and thrive, and impact lives.

So that leads us to now, 2025. The collegiate landscape has changed. Players are getting paid for Name, Image and Likeness. Rob has done a lot with what he's been given. His teams consistently reach their potential and sometimes exceed it.

He and the program need the continued support from this fan base. Give what you can to make sure the winning continues for Kent State.

Appreciate what we have at Kent State. Get involved anyway you can. Sendy's back. Let's plan for the next chapter of Kent State basketball.