UIC Athletics is pleased to announce the additions of Gabriel Derman and
Evarist Akujobi as Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coaches.
Derman will work primarily with the men's basketball and women's golf teams. Akujobi will be responsible for the women's basketball and women's tennis strength programs. With the addition of the two full time coaches, the Strength & Conditioning department will be able to spend more time with each Flames team for individual and group instruction, and closely monitor the progress of each athlete toward his or her sport-specific goals.
"We are extremely happy to welcome
Gabe Derman and
Evarist Akujobi to our Flames Family!" said Head Strength and Conditioning Coach
Nick Zostautas. "Both of these coaches add a wealth of knowledge and experience that will not only directly impact and benefit the teams that they work with, but will also better all of our varsity athletes. Together they bring from over 18 years of working with not only collegiate athletes but professional athletes as well. This is truly a great day for not only the Flames strength and conditioning department, but our athletic department as well!"
Derman returns to his Midwest roots after stints at Texas and Washington. He spent the last two years in Seattle working with the Huskies' baseball, golf, and tennis teams. The 2018 baseball squad made the College World Series for the first time in program history. He also assisted with the daily training for the men's basketball team, which won the Pac-12 championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Derman helped design and administer workouts for Pac-12 Player of the Year
Jaylen Nowell and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year
Matisse Thybulle.
From 2015 to 2017, Derman earned his Master's degree in Exercise Science at Texas while working with the baseball and basketball squads. The Longhorns made the NCAA Tournament on the strength of a 20-win season in 2016. He earned his bachelor's degree in Movement Science at Michigan, and completed internships at UCLA, DePaul, and EFT Sports Performance in suburban Highland Park.
An Evanston native, Gabe is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC) through the Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coaches Association, and is CPR/AED certified.
Akujobi brings a wealth of international basketball performance experience to
Tasha Pointer's program. He was most recently the Sports Performance Director for the Guangzhou Longlions, a China Basketball Association franchise, with stints in the Shanxi Flame (Women's Chinese Basketball Association), Beijing Ducks, and Seoul SK Knights organizations as well. He spent two years at Memphis as the Men's Basketball Strength and Conditioning Coach. The Tigers won 37 games in his two seasons, including victories on consecutive days to earn a spot in the American Athletic Conference championship game in 2016.
Before arriving in Memphis, Akujobi was on the strength staffs with the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Memphis Grizzlies. He has worked individually with Hall of Famer
Tracy McGrady, NBA lottery pick
DJ Augustin, and NCAA and NBA champion
Marreese Speights. Akujobi has additional D-I experience at Georgetown, St. John's, and Houston Baptist. He was raised in Arlington, Texas and graduated from the University of Houston with a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science. He received his Master's in Sport and Fitness Administration from St. John's in 2008.
