University of North Texas Athletics
Robinson Hires Cole Christian To Staff
6/5/2026 4:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DENTON — Second-year UNT head men's basketball coach Daniyal Robinson announced the hiring of Cole Christian on Friday to his staff as an assistant coach.
The hire reunites Robinson with Christian.
"We are excited to welcome Cole and his family to the Mean Green family," Robinson said. "I've known him since our time at Iowa State, where we had the opportunity to work together and experience great success."
Robinson and Christian worked together at Iowa State on two separate occasions, most recently from 2018-21 under then Cyclones head coach Steve Prohm. where they helped develop future NBA All Star Tyrese Haliburton, future NBA champion Talen Horton-Tucker and NBA draftee Marial Shayok who was an AP All-American at ISU.
"Cole is a relentless worker, a tremendous basketball mind, and someone who is fully committed to the core values of our program," Robinson added. "He has a passion for developing student-athletes and helping them reach their full potential both on and off the court."
Christian comes to UNT from South Dakota State where he spent one season as an assistant coach. At SDSU, he coordinated the Jackrabbits' offense and handled scouting duties. SDSU featured one of the best offenses in the Summit League, averaging 75.4 points per game with a .460 field goal percentage that ranked second in the Summit.
"We're excited to add someone of Cole's character, experience, and work ethic to our staff and look forward to the impact he will have on our program," Robinson said.
Prior to South Dakota State, Christian spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Murray State under Prohm. In his three seasons with the Racers, he aided the transition to the Missouri Valley Conference, managed the team's offensive system, including installing plays, game-planning and in-game play-calling. He was also able to continue his experience in player development and scouting. During his time at Murray State, the Racers picked up victories over notable opponents such as Texas A&M, Tulsa, Loyola Chicago and Drake.
Christian had a one year stop at Akron for the 2021-22 season. There he served as the director of basketball operations and analytics. During his time with the Zips, he was responsible for day-to-day operations, including managing team travel, budget, donor relations, and financial aid. He also continued his role in video operations and scouting. That season the Zips won 24 games, won the Mid-American Conference Tournament title and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament as a 13-seed. Christian helped develop Akron's Enrique Freeman into becoming an eventual MAC Player of the Year honoree, AP All-American, the NCAA's season leader in rebounds and a 2024 NBA draft pick.
The Corydon, Iowa native returned to his alma mater and served as a graduate assistant at Iowa State from 2018-21. Christian assisted the coaching staff with video operations, scouting, and player development. Additionally, he served as the director of Steve Prohm Basketball Camps.
Christian earned his first full-time job at Tennessee Martin, where he worked as the director of basketball operations for the Skyhawks from 2017-18. His role consisted of coordinating team travel, academics, directing basketball camps, and overseeing the student manager staff.
Christian received his bachelor's degree in marketing in 2017 from Iowa State and was a student manager for the Cyclones men's basketball program that won the 2017 Big 12 Tournament title, reached the 2016 Sweet 16, top 25 national ranking and featured four future NBA players, such as George Niang, as well as two-time German Bundesliga champion and Bundesliga All Star Nick Weiler-Babb.
Coaching Career
Tennessee Martin (2017-2018)
Iowa State (2018-2021)
Akron (2021-2022)
Murray State (2022-2025)
South Dakota (2025-2026)
North Texas (2026-present)
The hire reunites Robinson with Christian.
"We are excited to welcome Cole and his family to the Mean Green family," Robinson said. "I've known him since our time at Iowa State, where we had the opportunity to work together and experience great success."
Robinson and Christian worked together at Iowa State on two separate occasions, most recently from 2018-21 under then Cyclones head coach Steve Prohm. where they helped develop future NBA All Star Tyrese Haliburton, future NBA champion Talen Horton-Tucker and NBA draftee Marial Shayok who was an AP All-American at ISU.
"Cole is a relentless worker, a tremendous basketball mind, and someone who is fully committed to the core values of our program," Robinson added. "He has a passion for developing student-athletes and helping them reach their full potential both on and off the court."
Christian comes to UNT from South Dakota State where he spent one season as an assistant coach. At SDSU, he coordinated the Jackrabbits' offense and handled scouting duties. SDSU featured one of the best offenses in the Summit League, averaging 75.4 points per game with a .460 field goal percentage that ranked second in the Summit.
"We're excited to add someone of Cole's character, experience, and work ethic to our staff and look forward to the impact he will have on our program," Robinson said.
Prior to South Dakota State, Christian spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Murray State under Prohm. In his three seasons with the Racers, he aided the transition to the Missouri Valley Conference, managed the team's offensive system, including installing plays, game-planning and in-game play-calling. He was also able to continue his experience in player development and scouting. During his time at Murray State, the Racers picked up victories over notable opponents such as Texas A&M, Tulsa, Loyola Chicago and Drake.
Christian had a one year stop at Akron for the 2021-22 season. There he served as the director of basketball operations and analytics. During his time with the Zips, he was responsible for day-to-day operations, including managing team travel, budget, donor relations, and financial aid. He also continued his role in video operations and scouting. That season the Zips won 24 games, won the Mid-American Conference Tournament title and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament as a 13-seed. Christian helped develop Akron's Enrique Freeman into becoming an eventual MAC Player of the Year honoree, AP All-American, the NCAA's season leader in rebounds and a 2024 NBA draft pick.
The Corydon, Iowa native returned to his alma mater and served as a graduate assistant at Iowa State from 2018-21. Christian assisted the coaching staff with video operations, scouting, and player development. Additionally, he served as the director of Steve Prohm Basketball Camps.
Christian earned his first full-time job at Tennessee Martin, where he worked as the director of basketball operations for the Skyhawks from 2017-18. His role consisted of coordinating team travel, academics, directing basketball camps, and overseeing the student manager staff.
Christian received his bachelor's degree in marketing in 2017 from Iowa State and was a student manager for the Cyclones men's basketball program that won the 2017 Big 12 Tournament title, reached the 2016 Sweet 16, top 25 national ranking and featured four future NBA players, such as George Niang, as well as two-time German Bundesliga champion and Bundesliga All Star Nick Weiler-Babb.
Coaching Career
Tennessee Martin (2017-2018)
Iowa State (2018-2021)
Akron (2021-2022)
Murray State (2022-2025)
South Dakota (2025-2026)
North Texas (2026-present)
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