Eastern Illinois University Men's Basketball

Watch Archived Press Conference    Eastern Illinois Athletic Director Tom Michael has announced that Marty Simmons has been hired as the Panthers men's basketball

Bob Lockart was hired as assistant to the men's basketball head coach at Eastern Illinois in fall of 2022. Prior to joining EIU, he was a successful high school coach in Illinois with 410 wins. He was inducted into the IBCA Hall of Fame in 2020 and served on coaching staffs at Argenta-Oreana, Decatur Eisenhower, Effingham, Mattoon, Sullivan, Neoga and Windsor. Lockart coached teams to five IHSA Regional Championships, had seven 20-win seasons, and won seven country championships and five conference championships. At Eastern Illinois, he has helped coach multiple All-OVC selections and contributed to the 2024 OVC Tournament appearance, the team's first since 2019-20. He resides in Mattoon with his wife Kim.

Eastern Illinois * Hired as an assistant men's basketball coach in August 2023 * Begins fourth season on head coach Marty Simmons staff in 2026-27 season * Helped