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Former NCAA Division I coach Luke Yaklich takes over Illinois high school basketball team

Lawrence Andrew Fernandezby: Lawrence Fernandez04/23/25lawandfern
NCAA Basketball: Illinois-Chicago at Cincinnati
Nov 6, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Illinois-Chicago Flames head coach Luke Yaklich reacts from the sideline during the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Fifth Third Arena. (Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)

Luke Yaklich extends his impressive Illinois basketball coaching career by embracing a fresh start. After an eleven-year NCAA Division I men’s basketball coaching stint, he returns to high school basketball and takes over Lincoln-Way East’s program. Yaklich will succeed Rich Kolimas, who retired with a 341-316 record after 24 years with the Griffins.

Lincoln-Way East has been average over the past two seasons. They went 16-13 in 2023-24 and 18-12 last season, making them the state’s 92nd-ranked team. Those records are a far cry from their 25-6 record from the 2022-23 season. The Griffins hope that hiring Yaklich can spark the team’s return to elite contender status.

While Luke Yaklich will turn 49 this May, he has been a basketball coach for half of his life. He has extensive college basketball coaching credentials, starting with his stint as Dan Muller’s assistant at Illinois State from 2013 to 2017.

After coaching for the Redbirds, Yaklich joined John Beilein’s staff at the University of Michigan, helping the Wolverines compile a 63-15 record in two seasons. Likewise, the Wolverines played in the 2018 national championship game, losing to Villanova. After his stint at Michigan, Yaklich became one of Shaka Smart’s deputies at the University of Texas.

Finally, he got a head coaching role when the University of Illinois Chicago hired him in 2020. He compiled a 47-70 record after four years with the Flames.

Coaching high school basketball isn’t new to Luke Yaklich because it’s where he came from. He started coaching for the LaSalle-Peru girls basketball team in 1999 and transferred to Sterling High School after two seasons.

He returned to LaSalle-Peru in 2003, this time taking over the boys’ basketball squad, and went 58-54 in four seasons. Luke Yaklich also coached Joliet West High School for six seasons and compiled a 104-62 record before joining Illinois State.