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

