Phil Baier Named MBB Strength Coach
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami head men’s basketball coach Jim Larrañaga announced Thursday Phil Baier as the team’s strength & conditioning coach.
Baier joins the Hurricanes after two years at the University of North Texas, where he worked with the Mean Green’s men’s basketball and women’s volleyball teams.
“We are excited to welcome to Phil to our program,” Larrañaga said. “He brings a great deal of experience not just in strength & conditioning as a whole, but in working specifically with basketball players. We look forward to seeing our guys continue to improve all aspects of their physical fitness under Phil’s tutelage.”
North Texas reached the 20-win mark in both of Baier’s seasons with basketball, notching 41 total victories and claiming the 2018 CBI championship. He also aided the volleyball program to 48 triumphs in two years, including a 29-4 campaign in 2017 that featured a CUSA regular season title.
Prior to his time in Denton, Texas, Baier spent two years at Arkansas State. There, he primarily worked with men’s basketball, men’s track and field, women’s track and field, cheerleading and dance, while helping with football. The Red Wolves won two Sun Belt titles in football and one in men’s outdoor track and field while Baier was there.
Baier did his graduate studies at Southeast Missouri State University, pursuing a master’s degree in higher education administration with an emphasis in athletic administration. While there, he worked with men’s basketball, women’s basketball, football and women’s tennis.
In addition, Baier was a strength & conditioning intern at the University of Southern California in the spring of 2013, primarily working with women’s crew, while aiding with 10 additional programs, including baseball and women’s basketball.
The prior summer, Baier interned at Harvard University, helping with eight sports, including men’s basketball, football and men’s ice hockey.
“I would like to thank coach Larrañaga and [Senior Associate AD of Performance, Health & Wellness] Luis Feigenbaum for giving me the opportunity to lead this team in the weight room and on the conditioning court,” Baier said. “I look forward to giving everything I have to the players and coaches to help this program succeed.”
A 2013 graduate of Springfield College, Baier received his bachelor’s degree in applied exercise science with a minor in coaching. He earned four varsity letters as a wide receiver and garnered all-conference honorable mention as a senior.
Baier, a native of Braintree, Mass., holds certifications from both the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association and the American Red Cross.
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