Arizona adds former KU assistant Robinson to hoops coaching staff; McGrath update
Former Kansas men’s basketball assistant coach Steve Robinson, who worked the past 18 years for Roy Williams at North Carolina, has been named an assistant coach at Arizona, Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd announced Thursday.
Robinson, 63, was on Williams’ original coaching staff at KU. He arrived at KU in 1988-89 and stayed for seven seasons before being named head coach at Tulsa and then Florida State.
He returned to KU as Williams’ assistant in 2002-03 before Williams was named the head coach at North Carolina prior to the 2003-04 season. He brought Robinson with him to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Robinson was part of three NCAA title teams at Carolina.
“Adding Steve Robinson to its staff is a great opportunity for Arizona basketball,” ex-KU coach Williams said in a release. “He’s been an incredible part of my life for the past 33 years, 26 of which we spent together at Kansas and North Carolina. He’s a great tactician and competitor and an outstanding person. Coach Lloyd will enjoy working with Steve every day and will appreciate all he has to offer.
“He was an integral part of three national championships, plus hundreds of wins and numerous other Final Fours. There’s a lot of gas left in his tank. I couldn’t be happier for Steve and his family. The Arizona Wildcats have made me a big fan with this move,” Williams added.
Zona coach Lloyd said: “Steve Robinson is a first-class individual and knows the ins and outs of championship-level basketball, having won three national titles and made eight appearances in the Final Four. That experience will be an invaluable asset to our team and our program.”
At Arizona, Robinson replaces Jason Terry, who left UA in August for a job in the NBA G League.
McGrath joins coaching staff at Cincy
Former KU guard C.B. McGrath, who served as head men’s basketball coach at UNC Wilmington from 2017-20, has joined the men’s hoops coaching staff at Cincinnati.
McGrath, a native of Topeka, is the new “special assistant to the head coach” at Cincy. The Bearcats are led by first-year head coach Wes Miller.
McGrath, 45, played at KU from the 1994-95 season until 1997-98. He worked on Williams’ coaching staff at KU from 1999 to 2003 then worked for Williams 14 seasons at North Carolina (2003-17). He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Human Biology from KU in 1998 and completed his Master’s Degree in Education at KU in 2000.
McGrath was an assistant for 11 years and director of operations for three at UNC where he was part of three NCAA title teams. UNC is where Cincy coach Miller was a guard on the Tar Heel team.
“After I hired Jerod (Haase, former UNC assistant and current Stanford coach who played at KU) and C.B. I made the decision I would never hire anybody as an assistant coach unless they played for me. That is how strong Jerod and C.B. were,” Williams said as quoted by starnewsonline.com. “He is a part of my family,” Williams added of McGrath.
This story was originally published September 3, 2021 at 5:38 AM with the headline "Arizona adds former KU assistant Robinson to hoops coaching staff; McGrath update."
