Mike Strickland begins his second year at Tuskegee University as an assistant coach for the men's basketball program.
In his first year, Strickland helped the team advance to the second round of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). He also helped coach two weekly award winners in James Eads and Austin Cherry during the season.
Strickland came to Tuskegee from The Citadel, where he served as the program’s director of operations last season.
“I am elated to have Michael Strickland join our Tuskegee basketball staff,” Dunn said. “He is a talented coach who was born into the coaching profession, and brings a wealth of experience that will benefit our program and players in a significant way.”
Prior to The Citadel, Strickland spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Roanoke College under head coach Page Moir. The Maroons finished 11-16 in Strickland’s first year on the bench before capping off the 2013-14 season with a 12-12 mark and doubling their number of wins in Old Dominion Athletic Conference play to six.
During his time at Roanoke, Strickland also served as the Junior Varsity Head Coach. During this stint, the team played against players in the All-Virginia Prep League.
Prior to his first collegiate coaching job, Strickland served as an assistant coach at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. The Eagles finished the 2011-12 season with a 27-7 overall record and earned an invitation to the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament (ACIT).
He broke into the coaching ranks as an assistant at Benedictine College Prep in Richmond, Va., in 2010-11. In his only season with the Cadets, they captured the Virginia Independent School Division I state championship with a 26-5 record and made an appearance in the ACIT.
Strickland also served as the general manager and elite skills trainer at the Ganon Baker Basketball, Inc. in which he trained middle school to college athletes. Prior to that, he served as the Operations Intern for the Colonial Athletic Association. He also served on the conference championships staff, working men's and women's golf, as well as men's and women's basketball.
Strickland was a standout at Randolph-Macon College where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business and economics. During his senior season in 2009-10, the Yellow Jackets reached the NCAA Division III Final Four, and he participated in the 2010 National Association of Basketball Coaches Division III All-Star Game.
In high school, Strickland earned First Team All-State honors in South Carolina, and is the the school's all-time leader in points, assists, steals and three-point field goal percentage.
