Marwan “Rock” Elrakabawy will enter his fifth season as the head men’s basketball coach during the 2023-24 season. 

Coach Elrakabawy and the Mountaineers ascended to the mountaintop in 2023, capturing their first SCAC championship title and berth to the NCAA tournament since 2018. The Mountaineers became the first in SCAC history to defeat three higher seeds en route to capturing the conference crown–including knocking out league unbeaten and the top regionally ranked University of St. Thomas in the semifinal and tournament host Trinity University in the championship game. Sophomore Kamden Ross was named tournament MVP and senior Alex Dehoyos and sophomore Dylan Mackey were also named to the all tournament team. The year, which concluded with a 15-14  overall mark (tying a school record for wins in the NCAA era), also produced second team all-conference honors for Ross as well as all-conference honorable mention nods to Mackey, Beau Cervantes, and Darian Gibson. The Mountaineers led the conference in assists and rebounds per game while also posting the second best field goal percentage offense and third best field goal percentage defense.

In 2022, Coach Elrakbawy’s third at the helm, the Mountaineers completed a historic season, posting a 15-12 (12-4 SCAC) record–tying a school record for wins in the NCAA era and setting a new record for conference wins–while posting the top field goal percentage offense and rebounding marks during conference play as well as the second best field goal percentage defense during league games. The year included honors for Alex Dehoyos (First Team All Conference), Kamden Ross (First Year Player of the Year, All Freshman Team), Darian Gibson (Honorable Mention All Conference), Bronson Evans (Honorable Mention All Conference), and Jalen Ned (All Freshman Team). 

Further, Coach Elrakabawy was voted by his peers as the SCAC Coach of the Year as he led his squad to a three seed in the SCAC conference tournament and a second conference semi-finals appearance in the last three seasons.

In the pandemic abbreviated 2020-21 season, the Mountaineers registering the top scoring and field goal percentage marks in conference play and once again qualified for the SCAC tournament. 

In 2019-20, his first season leading the Mountaineers, Coach Elrakabawy and the Mountaineers earned a four seed in the 2020 SCAC Basketball Championship and headed back to the SCAC Men's Basketball Championship Semifinal game. The team ranked in the top 10% of all NCAA Division III teams in field goal percentage defense and 6th nationally in defending the 3pt line. Elrakabawy coached three Mountaineers to All-SCAC honors in Matthew Rindahl, Paul Wells and Alex Dehoyos. 

Prior to taking the helm of the program, Coach Elrakabawy was the assistant coach for the Schreiner Men's Basketball program as well as head coach for the junior varsity team for two seasons. In the 2017-2018 season, Coach Elrakabawy assisted a Mountaineers team to what was at the time its most successful season in program history. The Mountaineers claimed the SCAC Regular Season Conference Title, the SCAC Tournament Championship, and the program's first berth to the NCAA national tournament.  The season included honors for Keenan Gumbs (Conference Male Student-Athlete of the Year, All-SCAC First team), Blake Kelley (All-SCAC Second Team), Luis Mancillas (All-SCAC Honorable Mention), Ellis Jones (All-SCAC Honorable Mention), and Head Coach Connor Kuykendall (Coach of the Year). In the 2018-2019 season, Elrakabawy assisted a Mountaineer team that competed in the SCAC Conference Championship with three Mountaineers (Matt Rindahl, Ellis Jones, and Paul Wells) earning All-SCAC honors.

Prior to Schreiner, Coach Elrakabawy held assistant coaching positions at SCAC rival Southwestern University (2016-2017), St. Edward's University (2015-2016), and Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. (2014-2015). While at Southwestern, Coach Elrakabawy assisted a team that reached the semifinals of the SCAC Championship Tournament. At. St. Edwards, he helped guide the Hilltoppers to an 18-12 overall record, a national ranking for the first time since 2008, and an appearance in the Heartland Conference tournament semifinal. While at Gallaudet, Coach Elrakabawy was an assistant to NEAC Coach of the Year Brendan Stern and part of the staff that led the Bison to a all-time program best 18 wins, a 12 win improvement from the previous season, and a top 10 nationally ranked defense.

Coach Elrakabawy began his coaching career at the high school level as part of the coaching staff at Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, TX, where he  served in various roles, including Varsity assistant and JV Head Coach for eight seasons.

Education:

Coach Elrakabawy earned a bachelor’s degree in computer sciences and a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2003 and 2006 respectively.

Personal: 

A native of Alexandria Egypt, Coach Elrakabawy grew up in Houston, TX. He and his wife Erin have three children: Noah, Raef, and Imogene.