— By David Walsh
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall graduate Rob Fulford returned home Tuesday when he was hired as Associate Head Basketball Coach under new Thundering Herd head coach Cornelius Jackson.
Fulford leaves Akron, where he spent the past seven seasons as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Zips.
“I’ve known Rob for many years. He’s a first-class person and a first-class coach with a first-class work ethic,” Jackson said in a university release. “He’s a proven winner who’s had major success coaching and recruiting at the college and prep school levels. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome him and his family back home to Huntington.”
Fulford played a key role in Akron’s success over the last seven seasons. The Zips averaged more than 20 wins per season and earned three Mid-American Conference titles. They were NCAA Tournament participants in 2022 and 2024. Over the past few seasons, the Zips and Herd met in non-conference play and staged entertaining, close contests.
Fulford played a large part in bringing in the talent for the Zips. Some of those players included 2020 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Loren Cristian Jackson and fellow two-time All-MAC selections Xavier Castaneda and Ali Ali. Castaneda won the MAC scoring title in 2023.
In all, Akron had 13 All-MAC selections and five All-Defensive choices during Fulford’s time.
Prior to his Akron tenure, Fulford spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Missouri, where he helped recruit a consensus top 20 class in 2014-15. The achievement got him named by Stadium as one of the top assistant coaches in the country.
Before his run at Missouri, Fulford coached one of the nation’s top prep programs in Huntington Prep from 2009-14.
During his tenure, Huntington Prep compiled a 139-18 record while consistently being ranked in the Top-5 nationally among prep programs over his final three seasons. The 2013-14 team finished No. 3 in the nation (29-5).
Fulford coached future No. 1 NBA Draft pick Andrew Wiggins (2014), 2018 NBA Draft lottery pick Miles Bridges and 2013 NBA Draft first-round pick Gorgui Dieng.
A native of Mullens, Fulford also coached Mountain State Academy for three years (2006-09) and racked up an 81-14 record.
Fulford received his B.A. in Education from Marshall in 1997.