Rehfeldt hired as UConn’s strength coach

On its way out of the American Athletic Conference back to the Big East, UConn has poached its biggest AAC rival of its strength and conditioning coach.

Mike Rehfeldt, who spent the past eight seasons at Cincinnati, has been named director of sports performance for men’s basketball. Rehfeldt will be responsible for all in-season and off-season aspects concerning strength and conditioning training for the men’s basketball team.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join Coach Hurley and his staff at UConn,” Rehfeldt said in a statement released by UConn. “I feel incredibly blessed and thankful to be part of a program that receives such tremendous support from the university and the community.”

Rehfeldt has already started working with UConn players. Strength and conditioning coaches are the only ones currently allowed to work with athletes (in small groups) on campus.

He replaces Sal Alosi, who has served as UConn’s strength and conditioning coach the past two seasons before the program decided to go in another direction.

Rehfeldt, 38, was hired at Cincinnati in 2012 and helped the Bearcats make an NCAA Tournament appearance in every season until last season’s tourney

was cancelled by the pandemic.

“We are very pleased to add a coach of Mike’s experience and expertise to our staff,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said in a statement. “We were able to see firsthand the success he had working with the players at Cincinnati and we expect him to continue that success at UConn as we strive to build a program that wins championships.”

While at Cincinnati, Rehfeldt was responsible for the physical development of such NBA players as Sean Kilpatrick, Troy Caupain, and Jacob Evans III, American Conference Player of the Year Gary Clark and AAC Defensive Player of the Year Tre Scott.

“What I love about being a coach is the ability to foster deep and meaningful relationships, being part of something greater than myself and the daily opportunity to have a positive impact on others,” Rehfeldt said. “There is nothing more rewarding than watching student-athletes grow and develop, not just on the court, but as people.”

Previous to his eight years at Cincinnati, Rehfeldt spent a year as a strength and conditioning assistant with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, which followed two years as the head strength and conditioning coach with the UFL’s Sacramento Mountain Lions and three years as a strength and conditioning assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

While with the Jaguars, he also served as the director of athletic development at the S3 Athletic Development Center at Yates in Jacksonville.

“It’s my mission to dedicate, commit, and focus my expertise in athletic enhancement through physical development, education and reinforcement,” Rehfeldt said. “I strive to develop the physical attributes in each athlete so the team can perform at optimal levels. We will educate players on proper nutritional strategies, recovery techniques, and lifestyle choices. We want to reinforce culture and goals to set a strong base for oncourt success.”