DeAndre Haynes, a former Mid-American Conference Player of the Year at Kent State who played professionally for six years and served as a Division I assistant coach for the past five seasons, has been hired as an assistant coach at Illinois State, head coach Dan Muller announced Tuesday.
Haynes most recently worked as an assistant coach at Toledo on head coach Tod Kowalczyk’s staff during the 2016-17 season following four years as an assistant at his alma mater – Kent State – on head coach Rob Senderoff’s staff from 2012-16.
“I’m extremely excited to add DeAndre to our staff,” Muller said. “DeAndre was a high-level player in college who played professionally for a number of years and will bring experience and knowledge to our players, specifically our guards. He has already coached under two terrific coaches and is hungry and eager to continue to learn. DeAndre, Tierra and their sons will be a great addition to our community and our program, and I can’t wait to begin working with him.”
At Toledo, Haynes helped the Rockets to 17 wins and a postseason appearance in the 2017 College Basketball Invitational (CBI). With Haynes as an assistant, forward Steve Taylor Jr. earned All-MAC Second-Team honors after leading the nation with 9.9 defensive rebounds per game and ranking third nationally with 12.2 rebounds per contest. Additionally, senior guard Jonathan Williams received All-MAC Third-Team accolades after ranking third in MAC scoring with 19.6 points per game.
“Illinois State University has an incredible basketball program, and I am excited to join the Redbird family,” Haynes said. “The community support is overwhelming, and I can’t wait to see it firsthand. I’ve heard nothing but great things about Coach Muller, and after meeting the rest of the staff here, I am really looking forward to working hard to maintain the level of integrity they have established within this program.”
Haynes began his coaching career in 2012 as an assistant at Kent State where he helped the Golden Flashes to the 2014-15 MAC regular-season title and a pair of CollegeInsider.com Tournament appearances, in 2013 and 2015. Before becoming a coach, Haynes played professionally for six years in FIBA Europe with stops in in Belgium, Hungary, Germany and Finland. In his final professional season, Haynes averaged 14.2 points, 4.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game for Finland’s Namika Lappeenranta.
“Through my coaching experience, I have discovered a true passion for growing players on and off the court through skill development and mentorship,” Haynes said. “My goal is to use my passion to continue the winning tradition that Coach Muller has accomplished over the last few years. As soon as my family and I stepped on campus, we knew it would be a great fit for us. We are all excited to become a part of the Redbird family.”
A standout player at Kent State (2002-06), Haynes is KSU’s program leader in career assists (625), steals (229) and minutes (4,070). During his senior season, in 2006, Haynes became the first Golden Flash to earn MAC Player of the Year honors. An Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention selection that year as well, Haynes led Kent State to the 2006 MAC regular season and tournament titles and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The 6-foot-2 native of Detroit, Michigan, was a four-year starter at point guard, totaling 89 wins and four postseason appearances during his time as a player at KSU. Haynes ranks 12th in program history with 1,259 career points, while his 114 career starts rank second all-time. He also led the MAC in assists in the 2003-04 and 2004-05 campaigns with 5.5 and 5.8 assists per game, respectively.
Haynes and his wife Tierra have three sons, DeAndre Jr. (9), Devon (4) and Dallas (3).
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