Zack Zillner was named the Director of Sports Performance for the Miami men’s basketball program in April 2025.
Zillner brings over 10 years of athletic performance experience to Miami, most recently serving as the Director of Athletic Performance for the University of Texas women’s basketball team.
While at Texas, Zillner was responsible for the implementation and supervision of the training regimen for the Texas women’s basketball team in the areas of speed, strength, agility, conditioning and flexibility, while working collaboratively with the areas of sports medicine and performance nutrition.
During Zillner’s eight years at the Forty Acres, the Longhorns recorded seven 20-win seasons, made seven NCAA Tournament appearances (2020 tournament cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic), advanced to the Elite Eight four times and won two Big-12 Tournament Championships. Texas put together a 214-64 overall record over Zillner’s eight years with the program.
Zillner worked with nine All-Conference (Big 12 and SEC) First and Second Team honorees from 2017-25, including Madison Booker (2025 SEC Player of the Year, 2024 Big 12 Player of the Year) and Rori Harmon (2022 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, 2023 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year).
During the 2023-24 season, Texas won 33 games, their most in a season since the 1985-86 season. The Longhorns won the Big 12 Tournament Championship, marking their third straight conference championship. Texas advanced to the Elite Eight for the third time in the last four seasons.
In 2021-22, the Longhorns put together a historic 2021-22 campaign, culminating in the program claiming its first Big 12 Championship Title since 2003. Texas finished the season 29-7 overall, which marked its highest win total since the 2015-16 season, and finished as the No. 6-ranked team in the county in the final Associated Press Top-25 poll, its highest finish since the 2003-04 season.
Prior to his time at Texas, Zillner garnered a vast amount of experience at three NCAA Division I institutions – Kansas, Illinois and Southern Miss.
While at Kansas, Zillner served as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, primarily working with the women’s basketball, softball, women’s golf and women’s tennis teams. He worked directly with 2017 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Newcomer of the Year Jessica Washington. He also assisted with men’s basketball, including 2017 consensus National Player of the Year Frank Mason.
Prior to returning to his alma mater, Zillner worked as the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Illinois women’s basketball, volleyball, men’s and women’s golf teams from 2015-16. During his tenure, the Illini men’s golf team won the Big Ten Championship and the NCAA Regional, and the squad boasted three All-Americans.
Zillner served as the Director of Strength and Conditioning at the University of Southern Mississippi during the 2014-15 school year. He was the head strength and conditioning coach for men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball. There, he oversaw intern and graduate assistant personnel and coordinated the yearly nutrition and strength and conditioning budgets.
Before joining the staff at Southern Miss, Zillner spent three years [2011-14] as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Kansas. During his first stint in Lawrence, he worked with the soccer, softball, men’s and women’s golf, and track and field teams. He also assisted with men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and baseball. In Zillner’s work with the track and field teams, the women’s track and field team finished as the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Champion and was the national runner-up at both the 2012 and 2013 NCAA Indoor Championships. He coached 21 first-team All-America honorees, 11 Big 12 Champions, and also worked with 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Diamond Dixon.
Zillner earned his bachelor’s degree in sport science, with an emphasis in exercise science, from the University of Kansas in 2011. During his undergraduate days, Zillner served as a student intern in strength and conditioning at Kansas
Zillner is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He has his CPR-AED Certification from the American Red Cross and has Levels 1 and 2 certification from the Titleist Performance Institute.
