Utah State Basketball Staff Update

Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun has named Eric Haut as the program’s associate head coach, and hired Eric Daniels and Mantoris Robinson as assistant coaches. Press releases on all 3 hirings are below:

ERIC HAUT

Utah State head men’s basketball coach Jerrod Calhoun announced the hiring of Eric Haut (How-t) as the program’s associate head coach.
 
Haut brings 20 years of collegiate coaching experience with him to Utah State, which includes five years as an associate head coach. He has coached in five NCAA Tournaments and played in two more, including an appearance in the Elite Eight.
 
“I’ve known Eric for over 20 years and played against him in college,” said Calhoun. “He was a key member of Kent State’s Elite Eight basketball team and has worked with some excellent coaches during his professional career. He will do a tremendous job for us here at Utah State in all aspects, including recruiting and coaching on the defensive end of the floor.”
 
Most recently, Haut spent five seasons at Northern Kentucky, including the past three years as the associate head coach, as he helped the Norse to a 98-56 (.636) record, including a 53-31 (.631) mark in the Horizon League. Haut also helped NKU win the Horizon league and advance to the NCAA Tournament in both the 2019-20 and 2022-23 seasons. The Norse advanced to at least the semifinals of the Horizon League Championship in all five seasons he was on staff, including three championship game appearances (2019-20, 2021-22, 2022-23).
 
“My family and I could not be more excited to join coach Calhoun, his staff, and these great players at Utah State,” said Haut. “Having competed against Jerrod’s teams the past few years, it is clear how impressive of a leader and coach he is.
 
“It is also clear that Utah State is a place that values people, success and championships, and I am elated to have the opportunity to grow and help this program win conference titles and compete in the NCAA Tournament.”
 
Prior to Northern Kentucky, Haut spent eight years on staff at his alma mater Kent State, including three seasons as the associate head coach. During the 2016-17 season, he helped the Golden Flashes to a 22-14 record, a Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship, and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Following a storied playing career at Kent State that resulted in an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2002 and a NCAA Second Round effort in 2001, Haut’s coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Western Kentucky during the 2004-05 season.
 
Haut spent the next three years at Kent State, which included one year as the director of operations and two seasons as an assistant coach. During the 2005-06 campaign, the Golden Flashes captured the Mid-American Conference East Division and Tournament Championships. Kent State also advanced to the NCAA Tournament during the 2007-08 season with Haut on staff after posting a 28-7 record and winning both the Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament championships.
 
During his time at Kent State, as either a student-athlete or coach, Haut helped lead the Golden Flashes to five of the program’s six NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
Haut also spent three seasons as an assistant at TCU from 2008-09 thru 2010-11.
 
A four-year standout and second-team Mid-American Conference selection during his playing career, Haut helped Kent State win a league record 30 games during its run to the 2002 Elite Eight. The Lansing, Michigan, native was one of the top 3-point marksmen in school history and concluded his playing career with 200 3-pointers, which are the second-most in school history. In all, he appeared in 123 games and helped Kent State post a 98-34 overall record to go along with four consecutive Mid-American Conference East Division titles and four Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship game appearances.
 
Haut graduated from Kent State in 2004 with a degree in finance. He is married to Tanicius and has a stepdaughter Kamya, who was a middle-distance runner on the Kent State track & field team, and son Karter.

ERIC DANIELS

Utah State head men’s basketball coach Jerrod Calhoun announced the hiring of Eric Daniels as an assistant coach. Daniels has 15 years of collegiate coaching experience, including 10 years in the state of Utah.
 
“When we arrived in Logan, we wanted to make sure we attacked the state of Utah in recruiting and Eric will help lead that charge,” said Calhoun. “He has worked with some great coaches at Weber State and Utah Valley and has been tremendous thus far here. He is a great addition to our staff and will work on the offensive side of the floor.”
 
Daniels joins the Utah State staff after spending the past five seasons as an assistant at Weber State. During his time there, he helped guide the Wildcats to winning seasons and top-four finishes in the Big Sky Conference each of the past four years.
 
“I could not be more excited to be joining coach Calhoun and the men’s basketball program at Utah State,” said Daniels. “Being from the state of Utah, I know the tradition here at Utah State is very rich, and I am humbled and honored to be part of it.
 
“I look forward to working with coach Calhoun and the staff as we strive for championships and continued success on and off the court. Developing players and young men is one thing I truly value in this profession and I’m looking forward to continuing that here in Logan.”
 
In his five seasons at Weber State, Daniels helped mentor seven players to 11 all-Big Sky Conference honors, including Dillon Jones, who was named the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2023-24, while also earning first-team all-district honors. Jones was also a top-five finalist for the Julius Erving Award, given to the top small forward in the country.
 
During the 2023-24 season, Daniels helped lead the Wildcats to a 20-win season, including a road win at No. 23 Saint Mary’s, which was WSU’s first victory against a ranked opponent in 23 years. Weber State also beat NCAA Tournament teams Yale, South Dakota State and Montana State during the season.
 
Before coaching at Weber State, Daniels was an assistant at Utah Valley, where he spent four seasons on staff (2015-19). While there, he helped the Wolverines to three-straight postseason appearances and back-to-back 20-win seasons his final two years, including a program-record 25 wins during the 2018-19 campaign.
 
Prior to his time at Utah Valley, Daniels spent a year on the basketball operations staff for the Orlando Magic. There, he helped the team in a variety of roles, including on-court work, player development and video.
 
Daniels began his coaching career as an assistant at Southern Utah during the 2008-09 season, then spent five years as an assistant at Regis University in Denver, Colorado, where he was responsible for recruiting and player development.
 
Daniels played college basketball at Johnson & Wales University in Denver from 2004-08. He scored 1,191 points at the NAIA Division II school while also leading the Wildcats to the 2005 NAIA National Tournament. Daniels is the all-time career leader in both points (1,191) and steals (306) at JWU.
 
Daniels graduated from Johnson & Wales University in 2008 with a degree in marketing. He earned a master’s degree in non-profit management from Regis University in 2012.
 
Daniels is a native of Salt Lake City and is the son of former longtime college coach Donny Daniels, who was an assistant at UCLA, Gonzaga, and Utah, as well as the head coach at Cal State Fullerton.

MANTORIS ROBINSON

Utah State head men’s basketball coach Jerrod Calhoun announced the hiring of Mantoris (Man-tore-is) Robinson as an assistant coach.
 
Robinson brings 12 years of experience as a college coach to the Aggie bench, most recently serving as an assistant on Calhoun’s staff at Youngstown State for the past two seasons.
 
“Mantoris was part of my original staff at Fairmont State as a graduate assistant and has worked with some excellent coaches along his journey,” said Calhoun. “He did a tremendous job for us at Youngstown State, and he will be one of our lead catalysts for our defense working with Eric Haut.”
 
During his tenure at Youngstown State, Robinson helped guide the Penguins to the first back-to-back 20-win seasons in their Division I history as the team went a combined 46-20 (.697) with a 29-11 (.725) record in Horizon League play. YSU won 24 games in 2022-23, tied for the most wins in program history, then posted a 22-win season in 2023-24. YSU also posted a 28-6 (.824) home record during Robinson’s two years on staff.
 
“This is an unbelievable opportunity and I’m thrilled to continue to work with coach Calhoun and this staff,” said Robinson. “Coach Calhoun gave me my first opportunity in this profession, so from day one, I have been shown the blueprint of what hard work, empowerment, and winning looks like. I don’t take for granted the unique blend of team and family he is bringing to Utah State and the Logan community.”
 
Along with posting a 22-10 record during the 2023-24 campaign, Robinson also helped the Penguins to a 14-6 Horizon League record and a second-place finish. Youngstown State averaged 81.2 points per game and allowed just 70.9, both of which ranked second in the conference. The Penguins also made 282 3-pointers to rank as the second-most in school history.
 
Robinson also helped lead Youngstown State to its first regular-season conference title after guiding the Penguins to a 24-10 record and a 15-5 league mark en route to the Horizon League Championship in 2022-23. The 24 wins tied the program record for victories and the 15 Horizon League wins set the record for conference victories. YSU concluded its season with an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament.
 
Overall, Robinson helped mentor six players to all-Horizon League honors during his two seasons at Youngstown State.
 
Before joining Calhoun’s staff at Youngstown State, Robinson spent the 2021-22 season at East Tennessee State, where he helped the Buccaneers to 15 wins, while four players earned all-Southern Conference postseason accolades.
 
Prior to ETSU, Robinson coached three years (2018-21) at Charleston for head coach Earl Grant. He also spent four seasons at Appalachian State (2014-18) and two years at Fairmont State (2012-14) with Calhoun.
 
During his time at Charleston, the Cougars were one of the top teams nationally in fewest turnovers, ranking in the top 20 all three years. In his first year at Charleston, Robinson helped guide the Cougars to a 24-9 record and a 12-6 mark in 2018 Colonial Athletic Association play. The Cougars advanced to the semifinals of the 2018 CAA Tournament, while also knocking off Memphis in the AdvoCare Invitational and defeated VCU on the road during regular season play. Overall, five Cougars earned all-CAA honors under Robinson’s watch, while two players received student-athlete of the year accolades.
 
Robinson spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Appalachian State under head coach Jim Fox from 2014-18. The Mountaineers transitioned from the Southern Conference to the Sun Belt Conference in Robinson’s first season, and he helped guide App State to its first Sun Belt Tournament win. Appalachian State had four all-Sun Belt selections during Robinson’s time in Boone, North Carolina.
 
Prior to his time with the Mountaineers, Robinson spent two seasons at Fairmont State, where he helped Calhoun and the Falcons to back-to-back 20-win seasons and an NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in 2012-13. While there, Robinson coached five all-conference selections, and helped guide the Falcons to a two-year record of 43-19 (.694).
 
Robinson played at Winthrop from 2006-10, where he was the two-time Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He helped guide the Eagles to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a first-round win over Notre Dame in 2007. During his senior season, he was named MVP of the 2010 Big South Tournament.
 
A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Robinson graduated from Winthrop in 2010 with a degree in business and earned a master’s degree in business administration at Fairmont State in 2014.
 
He is married to Ja’Lisa (née Bradshaw) Robinson, and the couple has three children.

 

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