Mike Jaskulski has spent three campaigns as UCF[apos]s associate head coach. During that time, the Knights have been one of Conference USA[apos]s top programs, finishing in the top half of the league standings each year. Jaskulski joined the UCF staff as the associate head coach in June 2006 and is in his 32nd season as a college coach.
In his first campaign in Orlando, UCF enjoyed one of its finest seasons at the Division I level, going 22-9 overall in 2006-07. The Knights recorded an 11-5 Conference USA mark to finish second in the 12-team league.
With Jaskulski on the UCF staff, Josh Peppers garnered a spot on the All-C-USA Second Team after the 2006-07 campaign. Off of the court, three Knights - Stanley Billings, Adam Gill and Taylor Young - earned recognition on the commissioner[apos]s academic honor roll.
In 2007-08, UCF won nine league contests and finished the regular season fourth in the conference standings. Jaskulski helped a pair of Knights garner honors from the conference as Jermaine Taylor was an All-C-USA Second Team pick and Dave Noel was named to the all-defensive squad.
Taylor ranked 23rd nationally in scoring during the season, averaging 20.8 points per game. He totaled 646 points on the year, the most by a Knight since the program moved to the Division I ranks in 1984.
With Jaskulski serving as a mentor, Taylor developed into one of the nation[apos]s premier players in 2008-09. The senior averaged 26.2 points, good for third in the country. In C-USA play, Taylor, who received the league[apos]s player of the year honor, set a conference record by averaging 29.1 points. At the end of the season, he garnered Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention honors. Taylor was taken by Washington with the 32nd overall pick in the 2009 National Basketball Association Draft.
The 2008-09 Knights went 17-14 overall. UCF had some big wins during the regular season, including a triumph at New Mexico that ended the Lobos 33-game non-conference winning streak at The Pit.
Jaskulski came to UCF after eight years as an assistant coach in the BIG EAST and Atlantic Coast conferences. A top recruiter, he has helped his teams to four trips to the postseason since 1994-95. Prior to moving to UCF, Jaskulski served on the Florida State staff from 2002-06.
In 2005-06, Florida State recorded 20 victories and earned an invitation to the postseason National Invitation Tournament. After arriving at Florida State in 2002, Jaskulski helped the Seminoles attract three top-15 ranked recruiting classes. Florida State landed the nation[apos]s top-rated recruiting class in 2003.
Using his defensive expertise, Jaskulski was instrumental in molding the Seminoles into one of the top defensive teams in the country. In 2002-03, Florida State was seventh in the nation and second in the ACC in field goal percentage defense, and 16th nationally and second in the league in steals per contest. The following season, the Seminoles finished 21st nationally and second in the ACC in field goal percentage defense.
During Jaskulski[apos]s time with the Seminoles, Florida State averaged 16 overall wins per year in the highly competitive ACC. During that span, the team defeated eight nationally-ranked opponents. In 2005-06, Jaskulski handled the scouting report as the Semioles upset top-ranked Duke at home. He helped the Seminoles win 19 games in 2003-04 as the squad advanced to the second round of the postseason NIT.
At Florida State, Jaskulski mentored four players who were selected in the NBA Draft. Al Thornton was a first-round pick of the Los Angeles Clippers in 2007 while Tim Pickett (New Orleans, 2004), Von Wafer (Los Angeles Lakers, 2005) and Alexander Johnson (Indiana, 2006) were all second-round selections.
Three Seminoles were named to All-ACC teams while Jaskulski was on the staff. During his time in Tallahassee, seven Florida State players received all-conference academic honors.
Jaskulski served on Miami[apos]s staff from 1993-97. The Hurricanes made a pair of trips to the postseason NIT during that time and played in the quarterfinal round of the BIG EAST Championship on three occasions. Miami[apos]s NIT appearance in 1995 was the school[apos]s first trip to the postseason in 31 years.
While at Miami, Jaskulski recruited and mentored some of the best players in school history, including All-America selection Tim James and two-time All-BIG EAST pick Johnny Hemsley. James was selected in the first round of the 1999 NBA Draft by the hometown Miami Heat.
Jaskulski coached five 1,000-point scorers while with the Hurricanes and helped three of his players garner spots on the BIG EAST All-Rookie squad. Four Hurricanes garnered all-academic from the league during his tenure.
During Jaskulski[apos]s final season with the Hurricanes in 1996-97, Miami finished sixth in the nation in field goal percentage defense and first in the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage defense.
A 1976 graduate of St. Norbert College in Wisconsin, Jaskulski has spent eight years as a head coach. He was the head coach at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, from 1984-88 and recorded a 62-48 overall record, including a 19-10 mark in 1984-85.
Jaskulski led the Duhawks to the National Catholic Basketball Tournament semifinals four times and helped the squad to a third-place finish in 1988. He oversaw the program[apos]s move from the NAIA ranks to the NCAA Division III level. In 1987-88, Loras ranked third in the NCAA Division III statistics in team defense.
For four seasons, beginning in 1997, Jaskulski served as the head coach at Towson. In his first season at Towson, his team led the America East in scoring defense and 3-point field goal percentage. Off of the court, his players excelled in the classroom. During his tenure, 10 of 11 seniors earned their degrees.
Before his time at Miami, he spent five years as an assistant coach at Maine, helping build the Black Bears into one of the premier programs in the America East. From 1988-93, Maine won 32 conference games and advanced to the league title game in 1991.
While with the Black Bears, Jaskulski coached Dean Smith, who earned the NCAA Walter Byers Award, which is given to the top student-athlete in the country.
Jaskulski began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater. He worked at St. Norbert from 1976-82 and then served for two years as an assistant at Loras.
He is married to the former Marcia Anne Hendricks. The couple has two daughters: Katie and Carly.
(updated 6/30/09)