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Lamar University assistant basketball coach Bobby Kummer has been promoted to associate head coach announced LU head coach Tic Price Wednesday afternoon. The move comes as Kummer is preparing to begin his third season with the program.

“Bobby’s professionalism, ability and experience have been an asset to this program,” said Price. “His leadership is a great value to this team in a lot of ways. I’m very excited to be naming him associate. His ability rivals any associate head coach in the country. Bobby has a great future ahead of him.”

Kummer came to Beaumont after spending four seasons at Appalachian State, including three as the Mountaineers’ associate head coach. Kummer also spent time on staff at Charlotte and Texas A&M.

Known as a tireless worker on the court and recruiting trail, Kummer has left a paper trail of success in his wake. During his career, Kummer has helped coach 19 all-conference selections, including three all-freshman team picks, two conference players of the year, two defensive players of the year, three newcomers of the year and two freshmen of the year. He was instrumental in signing five top-20 recruiting classes of which 38 players have gone on to sign professional contracts including six who played in the NBA.

Kummer’s work on the recruiting trail hasn’t just produced individual honors. He has worked with five teams that have advanced to the postseason, including three trips to the NCAA Championships.

Kummer’s coaching career began in 1996 at his alma mater where he was hired by former UNC-Charlotte standout, Melvin Watkins. During a two-year stretch, the 49ers brought in a top-10 recruiting class (Bob Gibbons All-Star Sports) and made two NCAA Championship appearances. Following the 1997-98 season, Kummer left Charlotte for College Station when Watkins was named Texas A&M head coach.

During his time with the Aggies, Kummer was able to keep some of the Lone Star State’s best talent within its borders. The Aggies’ 1999 and 2000 signing classes were ranked in the top 20 by various publications, and produced the eventual Big 12 Freshman of the Year (Bemard King) and Newcomer of the Year. King would close out his Aggie career as the school’s all-time leading scorer just shy of 2,000 points. The staff would produce a second freshman of the year in 2003 in Antoine Wright.

Kummer came to LU prior to the start of the 2014-15 season assisting Price in rebuilding a Cardinals’ program that had won only seven games in the previous two seasons combined.

Big Red shocked the Southland Conference that season posting the nation’s 11^th-largest turnaround by winning 15 games.

The 11-game turnaround more than doubled the team’s win total from the previous two seasons.

The Cardinals also more than doubled its conference win total from the previous two years by posting nine victories in league play.

Following the 2014-15 season, seniors Anthony Holliday and Tyran de Lattibeaudiere were honored by the Southland Conference.

De Lattibeaudiere ended the season by earning league newcomer of the year recognition, becoming the sixth player in program history to receive the honor.