Northern Illinois University men’s basketball head coach Matt Majkrzak announced the hiring of John-Michael Hughes as an assistant coach with the Huskie men’s basketball program on Wednesday (April 1). Hughes comes to NIU following two seasons as an assistant coach for Majkrzak at Northern Michigan.
“John-Michael was a huge part of our success at NMU as an assistant coach the past two seasons,” said Majkrzak. “He was a no brainer to bring to NIU. His experience as a Division I student-athlete at both High Point and The Citadel, combined with his GA experience at USC, and his experience as a player at IMG Academy brings a unique perspective to our staff. John-Michael has been around some of the best coaches in the country throughout his career in Tubby Smith, Ed Conroy, Andy Enfield and Eric Musselman. He’s a tireless worker that will help elevate our program on the court and the recruiting trail.”
During the past two seasons, the Wildcats recorded 50 victories, winning the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament in 2025 and the GLIAC regular season crown in 2026, advancing to the NCAA Division II Tournament in both seasons.
“I cannot put into words how excited I am to be joining the NIU community and to continue chasing championships with Coach Majkrzak,” said Hughes. “We will work tirelessly to build a program and put a product on the floor that the community will be proud to call their own.”
Northern Michigan ranked second nationally in assist/turnover ratio (1.79), rebound margin (+10.3) and turnovers per game (9.1) in 2025-26, while also ranking fifth in the country in scoring margin (+15.6). NMU finished with a program-record 28 wins as Dylan Kuehl was named a First Team All-American and D2CCA Midwest Region Player of the Year as well as GLIAC Player and Defensive Player of the Year.
In his first season with the Wildcats in 2024-25, Northern Michigan finished 13th nationally in turnovers per game (9.8) while earning 22 victories. Kuehl earned All-GLIAC First Team honors and D2CCA All-Midwest Second Team recognition.
Prior to his time at Northern Michigan, Hughes served as a graduate assistant at the University of Southern California, where he worked with all aspects of the Trojans program, including scouting, recruiting and player development with student-athletes such as Isaiah Collier, Bronny James, and Boogie Ellis.
A native of Ligonier, Pa., Hughes played collegiately at High Point from 2018-22 under legendary head coach Tubby Smith, earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology. He then played one season at The Citadel under Ed Conroy while earning his master’s degree in sports management.
