Ten months into his first
season on a Division I coaching
staff at Illinois State, 37-year-old
Luke Yaklich created a Microsoft
Word file on his computer. He
named it “When I Become a Head
Coach.”
Yaklich divided the file into
four sections: offense, defense,
culture and recruiting. Tidbits
of information — gleaned from
picking the brains of other
coaches
and
scouts,
reading
books, watching online clinics
and just being around the game
— were partitioned into the
different categories.
In
terms
of
the
college
coaching circuit, Yaklich had only
just dipped his toes into the water.
Being a Division I head coach
seemed like a pipe dream, but so
had being an assistant coach at
that level. It was impossible to
know where exactly his journey
would lead him next.
“It was, ‘Okay, if I ever do get a
head coaching job, I’m not going
to have all the answers, and it’s
going to change when I actually
meet my team and figure out
what we’re going to be good at,’
” Yaklich said. “But you want to
have a base of things that you can
fall back on and say, ‘Okay, I like
this, I like that.’ ”
On March 26, Yaklich, age
44, got his chance. The former
Michigan assistant coach was
hired to be the head coach at the
University of Illinois-Chicago,
a middle-of-the-pack program
in the Horizon League. With 14
seasons of high school coaching
experience, 7 years in the college
ranks, and a full portfolio of
notes at his disposal, Yaklich was
prepared.
To an extent, at least.
“None of that had COVID in
it,” Yaklich said with a laugh,
taking a moment to relish in the
absurdity of navigating his first
college head coaching gig in the
throes of a global pandemic.
“There’s no manual or chapter in
the head coaching book to figure
out how exactly to put a program,
a staff and a roster together in the
middle of a pandemic.”
To label it as too steep a
challenge,
though,
would
be
a foolish exercise. He’s been
through the wringer, no stranger
to the grind requisite for coaching.
Not too long ago, Yaklich spent
countless hours traversing rural
Illinois on a rickety school bus
as the head coach of Joliet West
High School. Before Joliet, he did
the same at Sterling and then later
La-Salle Peru Township, all while
doubling as a high school history
teacher. And before that, he took
care of the thankless behind-
the-scenes duties as a student
manager for Illinois State.
Point being: For Yaklich, the
pandemic is just another hurdle
to climb.
“We do what we ask our players
to do, which is to respond and
handle the situation that’s in front
of you in the best possible way
with everything that you have,”
Yaklich said. “And that’s what our
guys and our staff have done.”
After taking the job at UIC,
Yaklich wasted no time getting to
work. Hunkered down in his new
home-office in Austin, Texas, he
rounded out his coaching staff,
retaining one assistant from the
prior regime and hiring two more
from Bryant and North Dakota
State.
The four of them, spread out
across four different states, set out
to piece together a roster. UIC’s
three top scorers from the 2019-
20 season had graduated, leaving
sizable holes. Tackling recruiting
through a computer screen and
over the phone, Yaklich brought
on six transfers to pair with a
three-man freshman class.
“The main thing that I tried
to really establish is just getting
to know everybody as people,
rather than players,” Yaklich
said. “I was making sure that the
human connection was first and
foremost.
“We did some team activities
over Zoom. It really ended up
being a unifying thing, that going
into it, you may not have seen it
as such, but our guys grew. Then
when they finally got together,
there was a connection and an
excitement to be in the gym
together.”
That came on July 6, 96 days
after Yaklich was first hired.
“We learned to appreciate the
time together in the gym and the
opportunity to play together and
to be a part of a team,” Yaklich
said. “We realized how quickly
that time can be taken away.”
Once allowed to return to the
gym, the offseason more closely
resembled
normalcy.
Players
worked out in pods. Defensive
drills, Yaklich’s calling card,
abounded. Seven years after he
started typing in that empty Word
document, Yaklich could finally
see his ideas put into motion.
When Yaklich got his first
men’s
high
school
coaching
position at Sterling in 2000, he
attempted to produce a carbon
copy of the system he knew from
his time at Illinois State. The
experiment went poorly — “like
trying to fit a square peg into a
round hole,” Yaklich says.
Twenty years later, Yaklich,
now the disciple of Dan Muller,
John Beilein and Shaka Smart,
has plenty to draw from while
building his program at UIC.
When instilling a program-wide
culture — the preeminent item
on his head coaching agenda —
Yaklich turns to Beilein.
“The one thing with Coach
B was really having a culture
that you can live out on and off
the court,” Yaklich said. “You
knew what to expect each and
every day as a staff, and then as
a player, because everything was
grounded back to the core values
that Coach believed in. It created
an identity of the program and a
sense of belonging to the culture.
“So we’re just trying to grow
our players one percent better as
students, athletes, players and
young men. I think if you really
do that, you’re going to create a
family culture because the people
that you’re working with are
going to know that you care and
that’s going to carry over to what
we call the three C’s: classroom,
community and the court. And
we want to create an environment
where our guys are high achievers
in all three of those areas.”
With the season approaching,
the
unconventionality
that
defined Yaklich’s first six months
on the job is in the rearview
mirror. As the familiar rhythm
of practices and games pick up
again, he can lean on all he’s
learned from his journey.
“We’re just making the most
of our eight hours together (per
week) now that the NCAA has
allowed us,” Yaklich said. “It’s
been a great experience. Our guys
have embraced everything like
champions.”
The
focus
now
rests
in
organization,
highlighting
different
aspects
he’s
implemented and marking off
other details that still need to be
contrived.
And Yaklich, ever upbeat, is
ready to continue giving it his all
with whatever cards he’s dealt.
Hunter Dickinson impressing his
teammates and coaches early on
According to 247Sports, Hunter
Dickinson
was
rated
as
the
42nd-best high school prospect in
the 2020 class.
Just a few months ago, though,
in a Michigan recruiting class that
included five-star Isaiah Todd and
was on the verge of adding five-star
Josh Christopher, Dickinson was
somewhat of an afterthought. It
seemed back then that the 7-foot-1
center out of Maryland powerhouse
DeMatha Catholic was going to
be a noteworthy pickup for the
Wolverines but wasn’t going to be
the headliner of a loaded class.
Then
Christopher
spurned
Michigan for Arizona State and
Todd opted for the NBA G-League
in lieu of college ball. Suddenly,
Dickinson was the featured name
of a solid class.
Though it’s early in Dickinson’s
career,
the
Wolverines
may
already have a gem on their hands
according to those around the
program.
“His abilities on the court
though are why we went so
hard after him in the recruiting
process,” Michigan assistant coach
Saddi Washington said. “Much like
Jon (Teske), he just has a presence
with his size and his length. He’s
an elite-level passer, he can handle
the ball and get his shot from
the perimeter. So he has all the
attributes that coach Juwan has
looked for in that position.”
Added guard Mike Smith, a
graduate transfer from Columbia:
“It’s crazy how different it is from
high-major to mid-major and low-
major in terms of talent. Like with
Hunter, having a 7-foot-1 dude
who can stretch the floor like that
and post-up. You don’t see that
everywhere.”
Dickinson’s offensive versatility
is his strong point. While he can
shoot the midrange jumper and has
a soft touch around the basket, his
7-foot-1, 255-pound frame allows
him to bully smaller opponents
down low.
As with most freshmen, though,
his ability to learn and execute
defensive
schemes
will
likely
dictate whether the Wolverines
can keep him in the lineup.
“Defending
and
rebounding
are two things that it normally
takes young guys a while to grasp,”
Washington said. “Most freshmen
come in pretty high level from an
offensive perspective, but I think
the guys that really understand
early defensive principles, being
able to defend without fouling,
rebounding at a high level, those
are the guys that get a lot of
opportunities to play. So we’re
definitely going to try and grow
Hunter in those areas so that we
can find ways to keep him on the
floor.”
With
center
Jon
Teske
graduated, Michigan sorely needs
a shot-blocker. Dickinson, who
averaged 2.1 blocks during his
senior year of high school, fits that
bill. Dickinson will have to face a
number of talented and imposing
big men in the Big Ten — Luka
Garza, Kofi Cockburn and Trevion
Williams to name a few — so
avoiding foul trouble is a must as
well.
In addition to Dickinson’s play
on the court, his presence off of it
has also impressed his coaches and
teammates.
“Man, the kid has swag and
confidence,”
Washington
said.
“That stood out from the beginning,
just his belief in himself and his
ability. But even as a person, he’s a
very funny and outgoing guy. He’s
just a fun young man to be around.”
Added fifth-year center Austin
Davis: “I love Hunter, man. He’s
a character. He brings a lot to the
locker room besides basketball. He
gets along really well with everyone
on the team and works his tail off.”
Dickinson’s name may not have
initially resonated with Michigan
fans like Todd or Christopher’s, but
the Wolverines’ top-rated recruit
seems to have the skill set and now,
opportunity to shine.
“He’s going to be a tremendous
asset to the team on both ends of
the floor,” Davis said. “So I’m really
excited to see what we can do with
him this year.”
CONNOR BRENNAN
Daily Sports Writer
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Standing at 7-foot-1, freshman center Hunter Dickinson has impressed with his physicality and shot-blocking.
Amid pandemic, ex-Michigan assistant
Luke Yaklich finds his way as a head coach
FILE PHOTO/Daily
After a winding road, former Michigan basketball assistant coach Luke Yaklich is now in the head coaching role that he’s always prepared for.
JARED GREENSPAN
Daily Sports Writer
Players, coaches build chemistry as
practice resumes
Limited ice time, no locker
room access and lots of Tik Toks.
It’s been an unprecedented and
longer-than-usual offseason for
Michigan as it continues to await
the announcement of a hockey
season.
The
Wolverines
will
get ready to face tough Big Ten
competition — and a lot of it. While
no schedule is set, the expectation
is to play a conference-only season
at some point this winter.
“When the game gets taken
away from us in a situation like
this did, it makes you hungrier,”
associate head coach Bill Muckalt
said. “I think there seems to be
a genuine enthusiasm with our
players to get back on ice.”
The
coaching
staff
has
emphasized that they’ve been
focusing on the things they can
control. That doesn’t just mean
staying in shape and keeping
attitudes positive — it’s also about
testing negative. The captains
have created protocols to try to
keep a bubble as much as possible.
“So far they’ve done a great job,”
Michigan coach Mel Pearson said.
“I’m really proud of the job that
they’ve done, and to this point.
They’ve been excellent.”
At least some semblance of
normalcy is returning to Yost Ice
Arena. This week, Michigan will
go back to a full 20 hours of ice
time — up from just four hours per
week allotted by the last round of
COVID-19 restrictions.
“Obviously with only the four
hours you gotta select the things
that you want to do and use all
your time towards that,” junior
forward Jimmy Lambert said.
“We’ll have a little bit more time to
work on systems, power play and
other special teams stuff so that’ll
be a benefit to get ahead of a couple
other teams in the Big Ten.”
Trying to practice amid the
pandemic has been an evolving
task. When they could get on the
ice, they were playing in smaller
groups with masks on. Outside of
the rink, players prepared for the
season by lifting in their garage
and playing roller hockey.
Michigan is working diligently
to make up for the ice time they
missed the past few months. But
they also must be careful about
staying safe because otherwise
they’ll be set back further.
“You know how important it is
to do the right thing away from the
rink, so that we can have a season
and we don’t have to get shut down
like you’ve seen in some other
schools and programs,” Pearson
said.
Another
challenge
for
the
Wolverines is preparing for a
season when they don’t know the
start date. The team wants to be
ready for game action, but not over
do it too quickly.
“If you know when your start
date is for your first game (you)
usually work backwards. You
know how much time (you have)
and what you need to work on,”
Pearson said. “But in this case,
with not knowing what the start
date is, it’s become a little more
demanding and what you need to
do is try to make sure we’re not
burning them out here before we
start.”
It’s difficult, but the team is
using its imagination to help make
things work. The players and
coaching staff are all committed to
instilling the team culture and also
holding everyone accountable to
try and stay healthy. With the team
being able to hold full practices
again, there is at least some sense
of normalcy returning to Yost Ice
Arena. The next step is getting an
actual season to prepare for.
“We just want to get going,”
Pearson said. “Tell us when and
where and let’s drop the puck.”
JOSH TAUBMAN
Daily Sports Writer
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Junior Forward Jimmy Lambert has been using Michigan’s four hours of practice to work on situational drills.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, October 7, 2020 — 17