Rob Bishop begins his ninth season at the helm of the Cal State Monterey Bay men’s basketball program. Bishop is the sixth coach in the history of CSUMB Men's Basketball.
Coming off one of the most successful seasons in the program's history, a talented returning core plus a highly-regarded recruiting class have Bishop and the Otters looking for big things in 2016–17 campaign.
In his first year at CSUMB, Bishop guided the Otters to 16 wins, a school record at the Division II level. Making its second CCAA tournament appearance, Bishop’s squad captured the school’s first NCAA-level postseason win in a 79-73 decision over Cal State Dominguez Hills in the first round. The Otters posted a 54-49 overtime semifinal victory against eventual NCAA Division II National Runner-Up Cal Poly Pomona, before falling to host Cal State San Bernardino in the championship, 80-78.
Under Bishop’s guidance, CSUMB also received its first its first CCAA All-Tournament selection as seniors Joe Mitchell and Steve Monreal were named to the five-player team. Mitchell was also selected to the All-CCAA first team and Monreal earned second team honors.
Before becoming an Otter, Bishop served as an assistant coach at Northern Arizona University for six seasons. There, he oversaw the recruiting efforts for the program and was responsible for the recruitment of every current player in the program over the six seasons, while assisting with other program-related duties including scouting and student-athlete academics.
During his tenure, the Lumberjacks won two Big Sky Conference regular season titles and made an NIT berth. He coached five NAU squads into postseason action, including four Big Sky Championship game appearances in 2003-04, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08, while tutoring 13 players to all-conference accolades.
The Lumberjacks enjoyed their finest season during his tenure in 2005-06, winning the Big Sky Conference regular season title and tying the school record for wins with 21. NAU advanced to the conference championship game and earned the fifth national postseason berth in school history by hosting a first-round NIT game. The Lumberjacks repeated as Big Sky Conference regular season champs in 2006-07, advancing to the conference championship game again.
Bishop joined the NAU program after five seasons as an assistant at California State University, Chico, including two years as the top assistant for head coach Prescott Smith. Over the last three seasons, he worked with the post players and served as the recruiting coordinator. In his first two seasons, his main duties included recruiting, opponent scouting and working with the Wildcat guards.
Prior to joining the Chico State staff, Bishop was a successful coach at Chico Junior High and Chico High for three seasons. He served as an assistant coach with the EAL and Division II Section champion squad in 1995. He coached former Lumberjack Ross Land, who is NAU's all-time career three-point leader and the second leading scorer in school history, as an assistant at Chico High.
He was featured in an issue of American Basketball Quarterly during the 2004-05 season about the use of technology within scouting.
Bishop received his bachelor's degree from Chico State in physical education in 1996 and master's from Chico State in physical education with an emphasis in coaching in 2001. He is married to the former Holly Morris. They have two daughters, Courtney and Ashley.
Last Updated: 10/19/16
