GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida men’s basketball coach Mike White announced the hiring of assistant coach Akeem Miskdeen on Saturday, completing the Gators’ coaching staff.
“We’re really excited about what Akeem will bring to the Florida program,” White said. “He has proven himself everywhere he’s been and will fit well with everyone here in our building. We’re really glad to have the opportunity to add him to our coaching staff.”
“My family and I are ecstatic to join Coach White, his staff, the Gainesville community and Gator Nation,” Miskdeen said. “Being a part of Florida basketball is special, and I will take pride and work relentlessly to continue its success.”
A Chicago native, Miskdeen has worked extensively with the backcourt and been a key component in player development for guards at all his coaching stops. He comes to UF from Florida Atlantic, where he has helped the Owls to a 47-41 record, posting winning records in each of the past three seasons, something FAU had done just once before in program history (1989-92).
He helped coach his teams to three straight NCAA Tournament bids from 2015-17 while at Hampton (2015, 2016) and Kent State (2017). This past season, he served as acting head coach for two games while FAU head coach and former Florida assistant Dusty May was sidelined due to health and safety protocols.
In 2018-19, the Owls earned their first winning record since 2011, highlighted by an overtime road win at Illinois, and made the third postseason appearance in school history as Anthony Adger earned all-conference honors. The Owls earned a Conference USA Tournament win in 2020 before college basketball was shut down, and FAU picked up another conference tournament win in 2021.
Miskdeen came to FAU after two seasons as an assistant at Kent State, where he helped the Golden Flashes to 39 wins and an NCAA Tournament appearance during his time on the bench. During the 2017-18 season, Miskdeen helped junior point guard Jalen Avery lead the nation in assist to turnover ratio.
Miskdeen worked directly with the guards during a 2016-17 that saw sophomore Jaylin Walker break out late in the season as the Golden Flashes made their run to the NCAA Tournament. Working with Miskdeen, Jaylin Walker more than doubled his scoring average to 15.8 points per game and posted a 30-point performance in the MAC Championship game against Akron, picking up MAC Tournament MVP in the process.
Miskdeen came to Kent after spending five seasons on the staff at Hampton, where he was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2013-14 season, also serving as the Pirates’ recruiting coordinator. He helped guide the Pirates to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, Hampton defeated Manhattan in a first-round match-up for the program’s second-ever NCAA Tournament win, and in 2016 the Pirates earned their first regular season title since 2002.
Miskdeen was the Pirates’ recruiting coordinator, and he 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.
In the 2015-16 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.
Coming up through the coaching ranks, Miskdeen spent the 2008-09 season as Hampton’s director of basketball operations before one-year Division II stops at Mount Olive College and Wingate University, both located in North Carolina.
As a student-athlete, 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. At Queens, Miskdeen was a two-time Defensive MVP and served as team captain during the 2007-08 season and 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 also earned a Master’s degree in sports administration from Hampton University. Miskdeen is married to the former Lasherra Joyner. They are proud parents of a daughter, Skylar.
