The Gators found themselves in need of a pair of assistant basketball coaches, after the conclusion of the 2020-2021 season. First, Jordan Mincy took up the mantle at Jacksonville, shortly followed by Darris Nichols being snapped up by Radford. Gators head coach Mike White needed a new pair of right-hand men, and the pieces are falling into place for Florida as May draws to a close.
Erik Pastrana, a recruiting expert from Oklahoma State, was hired to the first of the two open positions last week. The second is now being filled by Akeem Miskdeen, who most recently worked as a coach at Florida Atlantic.
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Perhaps not insignificant is the fact that FAU’s basketball program is headed up by Dusty May, who was himself a former White assistant at Florida. That means Miskdeen is ultimately a product of the White coaching tree and is therefore an easy fit for the team’s culture and the duties he’ll be assigned with the Gators.
“Miskdeen was likely not at the top of Florida’s list to start the process,” speculated Eric Fawcett of Gator Country after listing six other rumored candidates, “but they will still be happy to bring in a coach that is likely a good personality fit and someone who will want to stick it out in Gainesville for a while.”
The reputation Miskdeen carries into his new position with the Gators is that of unbelievable work ethic as a recruiter and a coach. He supposedly specializes in the development of guards, and Rivals noted that each team he’s coached saw an improvement in their backcourt production under his watchful eye.
Miskdeen has a Master’s degree in sports administration and over a decade in coaching experience, but the jump from his previous job at FAU to his new one at Florida is a big one. The SEC is one of the premier basketball conferences in the nation, but the deck is stacked in his favor. He’s landed in a good culture fit with a strong stable of frontcourt options, which plays to his strengths nicely.
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