Bob Szorc enters his eighth season and second season as Associate Head Coach with the men’s basketball program at App State in 2026-27.
Szorc has been a part of 76 Sun Belt wins at App State and 133 total wins in his first seven seasons. Szorc has helped guide App State to five seasons with at least 10 conference wins in his first seven seasons on the mountain. The Mountaineers have yet to post a season with a winning percentage below .500 in Szorc's tenure.
In his first season as associate head coach, the Mountaineers won 19 games, the second-most in a season since 2019, with 11 of those victories coming in Sun Belt play. The Mountaineers finished in a tie for second place in the Sun Belt standings and reached the quarterfinal round of the 2026 Sun Belt Tournament for the fifth time since Szorc arrived in Boone. App State's 11 wins against Sun Belt opponents marked the third straight season that it has totaled at least 10 conference wins.
The Mountaineers were once again one of the best defensive teams in both the Sun Belt and the country in 2026, as it led the Sun Belt in scoring defense and finished 16th nationally in that category. App State has finished in the top 50 nationally in scoring defense every year since 2020-21, and that is thanks in no small part to Szorc's tutelage as the defensive coordinator. Additionally, Luke Wilson garnered was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year, which was App State's second Defensive Player of the Year since 2023-24 (Justin Abson).
With Wilson's honor in 2025-26, Szorc has seen four big men earn conference honors. All four of them have come since the 2023-24 season. Wilson developed from a bench player in his redshirt sophomore season to one of the most dominant players in the Sun Belt in 2025-26, as he nearly averaged a double-double and led the league in blocked shots.
Szorc helped lead the Mountaineers to a 10-7 record in league play in 2024-25, marking the second consecutive season that the Mountaineers have posted double-digit conference wins.
With the help of Szorc, App State again proved to be one of the best defensive teams in the country in 2024-25 as the Mountaineers led the Sun Belt in scoring defense for the fourth straight season. App State has yet to finish outside the top two in the Sun Belt in scoring defense since Szorc got to Boone in 2019. Additionally, the Mountaineers posted top-25 national marks in field-goal percentage defense (ninth), fouls per game (sixth) and 3-point field-goal percentage defense (eighth). Szorc also saw the Mountaineers allow 50 or fewer points in four games in 2024-25, marking the first time since the 1978-79 season that the Mountaineers have posted four games allowing 50 or fewer points in the same season.
Szorc’s work with the big men of the Mountaineers once again saw fruition in 2024-25 as CJ Huntley turned into one of the best post players in the Sun Belt in 2024-25. Huntley finished the season in the top-10 in the Sun Belt in scoring (seventh), rebounding (sixth) and field-goal percentage (sixth). Additionally, Huntley recorded 11 double-doubles in 2024-25, which was the third-most by a Sun Belt player.
After the 2024-25 season, Szorc was selected to be a participant at the Jay Bilas Coaches Leadership Program, becoming the third assistant coach under Kerns to be selected to the prestigious clinic.
His fifth season in the High Country in 2023-24 saw numerous team successes as the Mountaineers claimed their first outright regular-season conference championship since 1978-79, an undefeated home record for the first time in the Division I era, a program-record 27 wins and a berth in the NIT for the first time since 2006-07.
Szorc’s defensive leadership and knowledge helped maintain App State’s status as one of the best defensive teams in the country in 2023-24 as the Black and Gold led the Sun Belt in scoring defense while also being top five in the country in blocks, blocks per game, fouls per game, opponent field-goal percentage, rebounding and defensive rebounds a game. App State has yet to finish outside of the top two in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring defense in Szorc’s tenure.
Working primarily with the Mountaineer big men, Szorc saw two post players garner individual Sun Belt accolades in Justin Abson and Tre’Von Spillers. After setting the program record for blocks by a freshman, Abson climbed to higher heights in his second season under Szorc, finishing with the third-most blocks in the country and the fifth-highest blocks-per-game tally in NCAA Division I. This led to Abson being named App State’s first Conference Defensive Player of the Year in a decade. Spillers was one of five players in the Sun Belt to be in the top-20 in both scoring and rebounding, which led to him being named first team All-Sun Belt.
During the 2022-23 season, Szorc helped lead the Mountaineers lead the Sun Belt in scoring defense (64.6) and field-goal percentage defense (.403). App State also earned its first Power Five win since 2014 at Louisville and saw five players earn new career highs.
In 2021-22, Szorc helped the Mountaineers to their third consecutive winning season. The Mountaineers went 19-15 and finished second place in the Sun Belt with 12 wins, the second-most conference wins in the Sun Belt era.
Szorc turned the Mountaineers into one of the top defensive teams in the Sun Belt and the nation in 2020-21, on its way to the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 21 seasons. In 2020-21, the Mountaineers finished second in the Sun Belt and limited opponents to 64.1 points, which was the lowest since the 1980-81 season. In all, the Black and Gold held 12 opponents under 65 points. Szorc also saw App State limit the top offense in the Sun Belt in Coastal Carolina to just 61 points in an overtime victory in the Sun Belt Tournament Semifinals.
Szorc played a large role in the Mountaineers’ lockdown defense during the 2019-20 season. App State surrendered an average of 67.3 points, which ranked second in the Sun Belt. In addition, the Mountaineers held 13 opponents to under 60 points, which was the most since the 1979-80 season.
Szorc joins the Mountaineers after working as an assistant coach at Presbyterian during the 2018-19 season. He helped the Blue Hose win two road games in the CIT during their 20-win campaign.
Prior to Presbyterian, Szorc spent four seasons at Division II Delta State from 2013-17, including one year as associate head coach. In four seasons at Delta State, Szorc helped the Statesmen post 72 total wins, including a 23-9 record in 2016-17 and an appearance in the NCAA Division II South Region Semifinals.
He got his start in coaching at the high school level, serving as head coach at Wheaton Warrenville South High School in Wheaton, Ill. and Alleman Catholic High School in Rock Island, Ill.
He graduated from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.
