Indiana State men’s basketball head coach Josh Schertz has announced the addition of Rob Gardiner to his staff as the Special Assistant to the Head Coach.
Gardiner previously served under Coach Schertz for one season as an assistant coach at Lincoln Memorial University and comes to Terre Haute most recently from Next College Student Athlete (NCSA) where he served as the men’s basketball senior recruiting coach since 2021.
“When hiring, I have always tried to hire people who are highly intelligent, work exceptionally hard, and have high levels of humility. The last and most important piece that ties all that together is being a high character person, and in Rob I know from experience we have someone who checks all four of those boxes,” said Coach Schertz. “I had the good fortune of working with Rob at Lincoln Memorial, and the opportunity to work together again here at Indiana State was a no brainer. His corporate knowledge will expedite any learning curves and our players, staff, and supporters will all benefit from having Rob on our staff.”
At NCSA, Gardiner assisted student-athletes and families by guiding them through the recruiting process and helping them find the right college fit on and off the court. He helped get players recruited to school at all levels from junior college to Division I. In December 2021 he was named Rookie of the Month and he was twice named Recruiting Coach of the Month.
As an assistant coach at Lincoln Memorial for the 2020-21 season, Gardiner served as the recruiting coordinator and defensive coordinator while primarily working with the guards. He helped lead the Railsplitters to a 19-4 record and the program’s third appearance in the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship Semifinals after earning the South Atlantic Conference regular season title and winning the NCAA DII Southeast Region Championship that season. Gardiner also coached and developed 2021 All-American Devin Whitfield while at LMU.
“I want to thank Coach Schertz, Director of Athletics Sherard Clinkscales and the entire Indiana State community for the opportunity to be a part of the Sycamore basketball program,” said Gardiner. “Coach Schertz has a proven track record of winning the right way on the court, in the classroom, and in the community. Indiana State men’s basketball has one of the most storied traditions in college basketball, and I couldn’t be more grateful and excited to be a part of the culture and program Coach Schertz is building at Indiana State. I look forward to working with the staff, players, and Terre Haute community to help this program continue to compete at the highest possible level. I cannot wait to get to work!”
Prior to his stint at Lincoln Memorial, Gardiner spent eight seasons at Ashland University where he helped mold a successful program and was named associate head coach prior to the 2019-20 season after joining the program in 2012. Gardiner was named as the program’s lead assistant before the 2014-15 season, and after his move to a full-time coach, Ashland won no fewer than 19 games for five-straight seasons and posted a winning record all six years with three 20-win campaigns and two NCAA Midwest Regional Championship appearances.
Heavily involved in recruiting, on-floor coaching, practice preparation and scouting, Gardiner helped lead the Eagles to top-10 rankings in 2015-16 and 2018-19 with impressive 25-6 and 23-7 records, respectively. Charged with coordinating a staunch Ashland defense, Gardiner oversaw an Eagles squad that ranked in the top 30 nationally in scoring defense five of the last six seasons. Ashland ranked 24th in that category in 2019-20 (67.6 PPG) and fourth in 2018-19 (63.0 PPG).
During Gardiner’s time at Ashland, the Eagles compiled 147 wins and posted 99 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victories. Gardiner also developed several All-GLIAC guards, including two-time National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District First Team performer Wendell Davis, who was a three-time All-GLIAC First Team pick. Under Gardiner’s tutelage, freshman guard Brandon Haraway was named the league’s freshman of the year following the 2019-20 season, while Rodirick Caldwell (2020), Aaron Thompson (2019-20), Ben Haraway (2018-19), Adrian Cook (2017) and Boo Osborne (2016-17) garnered All-GLIAC honors.
Prior to Ashland, Gardiner was a graduate assistant at Division I Wright State out of the Horizon League from 2010-12. While in Dayton, Ohio, Gardiner was highly active in every aspect of the Raider program. He was heavily involved in scouting and created and organized the playbook, not to mention assisting with travel. Responsible for overseeing Wright State’s film/video usage and equipment, Gardiner closely monitored the academic progress of players and was one of the main contacts with campus coaches and advisors. Gardiner was also the assistant director of the Billy Donlon Basketball Camp.
Working as a summer coach at Dublin Coffman High School from 2006-09, Gardiner led the varsity team through summer leagues and team camps where he conducted daily individual and team workouts. Gardiner has worked as the co-camp director for the Dublin Coffman Summer Camp (2003-09), has been the co-camp director at the Chris Quinn Skill Development Camp (2007-09) and in 2008, he was a coach of the Columbus Basketball Club AAU program.
A four-year letter winner and two-year team captain at Ohio Wesleyan, Gardiner led the Battling Bishops to the 2008 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship sectional semifinals (round of 16).
Gardiner received his bachelor’s degree in history and education from Ohio Wesleyan in 2010 before obtaining a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree from Wright State in 2012. He attended Dublin Coffman High School where he was a three-year starter, two-time first-team all-conference selection and a two-time team MVP.
Gardiner named Special Assistant to the Head Coach at Indiana State
