Michigan Basketball: Where things stand with assistants and recruits
Yaklich to Texas
Assistant coach Luke Yaklich did an amazing job for Michigan Basketball under head coach Beilein and now he takes his defensive mindset to Texas – pending a contract negotiation.
Sources: Texas' Shaka Smart is expected to hire former Michigan assistant Luke Yaklich as an assistant coach. Was the Wolverines' defensive coordinator over the past few seasons.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 29, 2019
Luke will be joining Shaka Smart to take over the defensive strategy much as he did here in Ann Arbor.
I took a deep dive into the impact coach Yaklich had on this Michigan defense, collecting data from three years before his arrival and three years after he arrived and the numbers were staggering.
KenPom provides a defensive efficiency rating which is calculated by using the points allowed per 100 possessions. Prior to Luke arrival, Michigan basketball was given ratings of 94, 100.5, and 100.5.
As soon as Luke joined the team, his defensive prowess was felt immediately. Michigan received efficiency ratings of 99.2, 90.5, and 86.2. The ratings were backed up when looking at the opposing points-per-game before and after Yaklich.
Before: 65.1, 64, 67.4. After: 66.4, 63.3, 58.3.
Coach Yaklich deciding to leave does make sense for him and Juwan Howard. Both are defensive minded coaches and Luke knows that by staying, he may never be able to get another opportunity like the one in Texas. Shaka Smart is on the coaching hot seat and if Luke can pull off what he did here in Texas, a head coaching opportunity would be in the near future for him.
There is more sad news as Luke is not the only assistant to depart.