Jai Lucas finds his new Director of Sports Performance

The University of Miami and Jai Lucas has named Zack Zillner as the Director of Sports Performance. Zillner brings over a decade of experience in athletic performance, most recently serving as the Director of Athletic Performance for the University of Texas women's basketball team.​

During his eight-year tenure at Texas, Zillner was in charge of overseeing training regimens that emphasized speed, strength, agility, conditioning, and flexibility. During his tenure, the team's amassed an impressive record of 214–64, seven NCAA Tournament appearances, four Elite Eight runs, and two Big 12 Tournament Championships.​

Before Texas, Zillner gained experience at the University of Kansas where he served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach. There, he worked with women's basketball, softball, women's golf, and women's tennis teams. He also assisted with men's basketball. His tenure at Kansas included involvement with the women's track and field team, which secured the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championship and produced 21 first-team All-America honorees.

Zillner also held roles at the University of Illinois and the University of Southern Mississippi, where he led strength and conditioning programs for various sports, including men's and women's basketball, volleyball, and golf.

Head coach Jai Lucas expressed enthusiasm about Zillner's addition to the staff, stating, "Zack is someone who knows what it takes to win in the area of sports performance as he has been a part of very successful women's and men's basketball teams over the past 10 years. His relentless pursuit of excellence and dedication to the athletic performance of our student-athletes will help build the kind of culture we want at Miami".​

Zillner's appointment is part of an effort by Coach Lucas to make sure that the proper pieces are in place for Miami to rebuild.​ Zillner's hire came Friday afternoon along with three others including Riley Welch as Special Assistant to Jai Lucas, Jeff Dyer being retained as Director of Basketabll Operations and LJ Rose coming on as Director of Player Personnel.