MARQUETTE, Mich. - Matt Majkrzak and the Northern Michigan men's basketball team have announced the hiring of Luke Taylor as an Assistant Coach. In addition, John-Michael Hughes, now going into his second season, has been promoted to lead Assistant Coach on the staff.

"We are extremely fortunate to, yet again, have a great coaching staff for the 2025-26 season," Majkrzak commented. "A huge part of our program's success has been the coaches we've had on staff. Part of that success is that they get opportunities to advance their careers. One of the biggest challenges of sustaining success is hiring people who will continue to elevate our program. I'm very confident this staff will keep us competing at the highest level." 

Luke Taylor joins the Wildcat staff after a year on the coaching staff assisting with the St. Cloud State (SCSU) women's basketball team. While finishing his master's degree from SCSU, Taylor also assisted with the Buffalo High School boys' varsity team and coached with the Minnesota Comets AAU program. 

Taylor had a four-year playing career at St. Cloud from 2020-24, starting in 65 of 91 games. He is a three-time NSIC Academic Team of Excellence and Academic All-NSIC honoree. In his senior year, he averaged 9.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He scored a career-best 24 points at Northern State on December 8, 2023. Taylor has a Bachelors and Masters degree in Biology. 

"Luke is someone that I recruited as a high school senior to play for me at Bryant & Stratton," Majkrzak said. "He committed to us, but I ended up taking the Northern Michigan job before ever having a chance to coach him. Since then, we've played against him at St. Cloud State, where he had a tremendous career. I've been able to follow his personal development as a player and coach. It's an incredible full-circle opportunity for both of us. Luke is going to make an outstanding college basketball coach, and we are happy that his journey starts at Northern Michigan." 

After a successful first year on the NMU bench, John-Michael Hughes has also been promoted to the staff's lead assistant coach. Hughes previously served as a graduate assistant at USC. In his time at USC there under coach Andy Enfield, he was entrusted to work holistically across all aspects of the program, but with specific emphasis on player development. He worked with players such as Isaiah Collier, Bronny James, and Boogie Ellis, two selections in the 2024 NBA Draft. He was also a major contributor in scouting and recruiting, and played an integral role in the transition of coach Eric Musselman to USC.

"From the day he arrived, John-Michael has made a tremendous impact on our program in scouting, player development, and recruiting," commented Majkrzak. "He's an outstanding young coach who is going to have an incredible future in this profession. We feel very lucky to be able to promote him to the role of top assistant coach, a very well-deserved promotion. John-Michael will be the third top assistant we've had since I've been here, and I have no doubt he will elevate our basketball program to continue winning championships and compete on a national stage." 

The announcement succeeds the departure of Associate Head Coach Keil Ganz, who earned the opportunity to become a Division I Assistant Coach at UW-Green Bay. In two stints with the Wildcats, Ganz helped turn the program around as Majkrzak's first assistant coach in 2019 and most recently helped lead the team to a GLIAC Tournament title last season. 

"We are very excited for Keil, as he gets the opportunity to move his family back to his hometown and work at an NCAA D1 school, which also happens to be both of our Alma Maters," Majkrzak said. "The success we've had as a basketball program on and off the floor wouldn't be possible without Keil's tireless dedication to NMU basketball. He was the best man in my wedding, and I'll miss him as a friend, but I'm extremely excited for the next chapter of his coaching journey."

More on Ganz joining UWGB's staff can be found here.