Miami University men’s basketball head coach Travis Steele has announced the hiring of Andrew Dakich as an assistant coach. Dakich joins the RedHawks after spending the last four seasons on the coaching staff at Illinois State University.
Dakich is the son of sportscaster Dan Dakich, who played and coached for the late Bobby Knight at Indiana and later was head coach at Bowling Green. Dan Dakich is in the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
“I am excited to add Andrew Dakich to our program. I have known Andrew for a very long time. He has a terrific basketball pedigree from his playing days at Michigan and Ohio State, along with his coaching career at Elon and Illinois State,” Steele said. “Andrew has an extensive player-development pedigree, specifically with guards. He also has a reputation for being a very good offensive coach. He will have a huge impact on our student-athletes here at Miami.”
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While Andrew Dakich was coaching for Illinois State, the team matched or bettered its win total every season. The Redbirds were 23-13 (12-8 Missouri Valley Conference) with their best record since 2016-17 last season. Illinois State was 3-3 in NET Quad 1 contests, the first time the program has had multiple Quad 1 wins in a year. It is also the first time since 2010 that the Redbirds have had back-to-back 20-win seasons.
Andrew Dakich got his coaching start at Ohio State after playing for the Buckeyes as a grad student. After two years at Elon and four seasons at Illinois State, Dakich has joined Travis Steele’s staff at Miami University.
Before Illinois State, Dakich was director of basketball operations at Elon for two seasons. He also spent a season playing at Ohio State as a graduate senior, then two years as a grad assistant and program assistant.
With the Buckeyes under then-coach Chris Holtmann, Dakich appeared in all 34 games, averaging 19 minutes per contest and recording 72 assists. He helped lead OSU to 25 wins, a 15-3 mark in Big Ten play and a Round of 32 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
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Before Ohio State, Dakich of Zionsville, Indiana, was with Michigan for four seasons. The Wolverines were 93-50 during his time with three NCAA Tournament appearances, including making the Elite Eight in 2013-14 and the Sweet 16 during 2016-17.
Dakich holds his undergraduate degree in history from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in sports coaching from Ohio State University.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Andrew Dakich, son of sportscaster Dan Dakich, joins Miami RedHawks
