Former D1 head coach Luke Yaklich takes Illinois high school basketball job

Yaklich was formerly the head coach of Illinois-Chicago

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-Imagn Images / Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Luke Yaklich is heading back to school.

High school, that is.

After more than a decade as a head coach and assistant at the Division I level, Yaklich has been hired as boys basketball coach at Lincoln-Way East.

Yaklich was the head coach at Illinois-Chicago from 2020-24, finishing with a 47-70 record. Before that, he was an assistant at Illinois State (2013-17), Michigan (2017-19) and Texas (2019-20).

The Wolverines were 63-15 during Yaklich's time with the program, including a trip to the 2018 NCAA Tournament championship game.

Yaklich started his coaching career in 1999 as girls head coach at LaSalle-Peru, his alma mater. He was 16-11 in one season before leaving to become boys coach at Sterling, where he was 36-46 from 2000-03.

Yaklich returned to LaSalle-Peru as boys coach from 2003-07, going 58-54, before moving on to Joliet West, where hu was 104-62 from 2007-13.

He succeeds Rich Kolimas, who started the Lincoln-Way East program in 2001 and retired after going 341-316 in 24 seasons.

---

Recommended Articles

feed