An Illinois State alum with invaluable Illinois high school and AAU ties, along with more than a decade of head coaching experience, Luke Yaklich (pronounced YOCK-litch) joined the ISU men’s basketball team as an assistant coach prior to the 2013-14 season.
Yaklich was promoted to associate head coach ahead of the 2016-17 campaign in which the Redbirds won a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title and set program records for overall victories (28), regular-season wins (25) and conference triumphs (17). In his first four years with the Redbirds, Yaklich helped guide Illinois State to an 86-50 record and three postseason berths (2017 and 2015 National Invitation Tournament and 2014 College Basketball Invitational).
Yaklich is in charge of ISU men’s basketball academics along with assisting in recruiting, scouting and working on skill development. In the fall of 2014, ISU established a team grade-point average record with a 2.99 GPA, breaking the previous mark by 0.13 points, and in 2016, Justin McCloud earned a spot on the MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team.
Yaklich was previously the head boys’ basketball coach at Joliet Township High School in Joliet, Illinois, for six seasons (three in the combined Joliet Township program and three at Joliet West), and also as a coach for the Joliet Pride and Illinois Wolves AAU teams. In total, Yaklich worked as a high school head coach and teacher for 14 years.
Yaklich and head coach Dan Muller first teamed up as students at Illinois State, beginning in 1996. Yaklich served as the men’s basketball manager/student assistant from 1996-98 while Muller played his final two seasons. Yaklich did his part in helping ISU to two regular-season and Missouri Valley Conference Tournament titles, including trips to the NCAA Tournament in 1997 and 1998.
As a high school coach, Yaklich led Joliet West to the IHSA Class 4A Lockport Regional title. The Tigers finished the season with a 19-8 record, ending in the sectional semifinals. He also led the 2009-10 Joliet Township team to a 24-8 mark and the Homewood-Flossmoor Sectional Championship.
For his efforts, Yaklich was named 2010 District 9 Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Coach of the Year. He compiled a 104-62 (.635) record at Joliet.
Before that, Yaklich served as the head boys’ basketball coach at La Salle-Peru Township High School from 2003-07. He also presided as the Sterling High School head boys’ basketball coach from 2000-03 and the head girls’ basketball coach at La Salle-Peru from 1999-2000.
A 1994 graduate of La Salle-Peru High School, Yaklich played his high school basketball for the Cavaliers. Yaklich graduated from Illinois State in 1998 and later earned two master’s degrees from Olivet Nazarene.
Along with coaching, Yaklich taught, primarily U.S. History, at the high school level.
Yaklich is married to Amy Yaklich, and the couple has three children: Olivia, Griffin and Taylor.
