Two Michigan assistants will participate in ‘The Next Up’ basketball conference

Two Michigan men’s basketball assistants will participate in “The Next Up,” a new initiative to support underrepresented college coaches.

Akeem Miskdeen and Drew Williamson will take part in this year’s conference, scheduled for May 30-31 in North Carolina.

“The Next Up” was co-founded by Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and North Carolina Central University basketball head coach LeVelle Moton.

This unique gathering serves as a platform to address the underrepresentation of Black professionals in coaching roles and aims to dismantle barriers to entry by fostering a supportive and inclusive community. The conference will bring together aspiring coaches and established industry leaders. Attendees will get to experience a valuable opportunity for networking, mentorship and professional development.

At the heart of the conference’s mission is a commitment to empowerment and guidance for Black minority professionals navigating the competitive landscape of sports coaching. Through a series of workshops, panel discussions, and keynote presentations, attendees will gain insights into best practices, leadership strategies, and pathways to success in sports coaching and administration. With a focus on leveraging the power of mentorship and allyship, the conference aims to equip participants with the tools and resources they need to thrive in their careers.

Miskdeen joined Michigan this offseason after previously working at Georgia. He previously worked together with Dusty May at Florida Atlantic from 2018-21. He joined Sam Webb and The Michigan Insider earlier this offseason to discuss the new staff in Ann Arbor:

“Dusty did a good job of not only putting the team together, but putting the staff together. And what he always likes to say is he wants like-minded guys,” Miskdeen said. “Now, what does like-minded guys mean? Are we alike? No, we have the same purpose, and our purpose is to help young men be better on and off the court. Of course we want to win. We’re all competitors and we all have a great work ethic. So that’s what (he means by) like-minded guys that he put together. And how we complement each other is we all come from different backgrounds. Mike is from New York, I’m from Chicago, and we’ve got Justin from LA… Kyle Church and Drew (Williamson) are from different areas, and we all have unique personalities. Some are more reserved, and some are more energetic. So that’s how we compliment coach.”

Williamson holds the title of Assistant Coach / Director of Player Development with U-M. He also spent three seasons with May at FAU. In a conversion with TMI, he discussed roster-building in the NIL era.

“They understand to create a good team we have to share the ball. And I guess now in the NIL era you have to share the money a little bit, too,” he said. “So it’s like, ‘Do I want to be a part of a really good team, or do I want to make the most money I could possibly make next year?’ What we learned at FAU is the year that we went to the Final Four, with the team’s success, everybody got more the following year anyway because of the team’s success. So, we really spent a lot of time preaching to the guys that the team’s success creates individual success later on down the road.”

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