Following up on a rumor that HoopDirt.com posted yesterday (Kent State Dirt)…
Kent State University men’s basketball head coach Rob Senderoff has announced that Akeem Miskdeen will join his staff as an assistant coach.
“We are very excited that Akeem is joining our staff and the Kent State family,” said Senderoff. “He has a tremendous background and comes from a really successful program at Hampton, which certainly is important. Akeem has recruited well in a number of different areas that are important to Kent State. He comes highly recommended by many people, most importantly, Coach Joyner from Hampton. We look forward to him helping carry on our tradition of excellence on the court.”
Miskdeen comes to Kent after spending the past five seasons on the staff at Hampton, where he was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2013-14 season. He helped guide the Pirates to NCAA Tournament appearances each of the past two seasons. In 2015, Hampton defeated Manhattan in a first-round match-up for the program’s second-ever NCAA Tournament win.
“I am excited and extremely blessed for Coach Senderoff providing me with the opportunity to be a part of the Kent State men’s basketball program,” said Miskdeen. “Being from the Midwest myself, I am aware of the great success this program has achieved. My goal is to do whatever is necessary to continue that success in the coming years.”
Miskdeen was the Pirates’ recruiting coordinator and was also responsible for guard development, opponent scouting, and coordinating the team’s travel. He played a key role in recruiting First Team All-MEAC guards Quinton Chievous and Reginald Johnson, Jr. from his hometown of Chicago.
This past season, Miskdeen helped guide the Pirates to a 21-11 overall record and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) regular season title with a mark of 13-3 before defending the conference tournament championship to earn the MEAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The regular season title was Hampton’s first since the 2001-02 season.
In addition to Chievous and Johnson, Miskdeen was key in the development of guard Deron Powers. The 2013 MEAC Rookie of the Year earned Third Team All-MEAC, as well as MEAC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player honors during his junior season.
The past five years were the second stint at Hampton for Miskdeen, who served as Director of Basketball Operations during the 2008-09 season. In that capacity, he oversaw on-campus recruiting, monitored study hall, coordinated team travel and assisted the rest of the coaching staff in their day-to-day activities.
Miskdeen made his return to the Hampton after one-year stops at Division II Mount Olive College (N.C.) and Division II Wingate University (N.C.). During the 2009-10 season, he helped Mount Olive to a 25-6 overall record, as well as Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament titles and earned a No. 25 national ranking while advancing to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Miskdeem then accepted a job at Wingate prior to the 2010-11 season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He helped guide them to a 19-10 record and oversaw the development of Odell Turner, a First Team All-Conference selection, and Jaime Vaughn, who earned Second Team honors.
A native of Chicago, Ill., Miskdeen spent two years at Laramie County (Wyo.) Community College before transferring to Queens University (N.C.) in 2006. Miskdeen served as team captain both years at Laramie, and he is the school’s all-time assists leader with 306. He was named Laramie Student of the Year in 2006. At Queens, Miskdeen was a two-time Defensive MVP and served as team captain during the 2007-08 season. He led Queens to back-to-back NCAA Division II Tournament appearances.
A 2008 graduate of Queens with a bachelor of arts in corporate communication, he recently received a Master’s degree in sports administration from Hampton University.
Photo Courtesy Kent State Athletics
