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Some surprising news came out on the coaching front this week as former Michigan and Purdue guard Spike Albrecht announced he would be taking a graduate assistant position with the Louisville Cardinals moving forward. Albrecht had quite a history with the Cardinals as a player, so it made for an interesting announcement.
He’s a Cardinal! #NMHalum & former #NMH asst coach Spike Albrecht ‘12 has joined the coaching staff at the University of #Louisville as a Grad Asst! #UpNext #GoCards #NMHcoachingtree #GoNMH @SpikeAlbrecht @LouisvilleMBB pic.twitter.com/PCdcnKV9Nw
— NMHbasketball (@NMHbasketball) June 7, 2020
As a player, Albrecht played four seasons in Ann Arbor before grad transferring to Purdue for his final season with the Boilermakers. He played in a total of 116 games with the Wolverines and an additional 28 with Purdue. Albrecht was a reliable backup point guard that delivered in a number of key moments.
Oddly, perhaps Albrecht’s most memorable moment came in the 2013 national championship game when he played significantly off the bench when Michigan star Trey Burke went out with foul trouble. He finished with 17 points in 25 minutes of game time in a tightly contested matchup. Louisville ended up coming out on top, though the program did have to forfeit the title due to NCAA penalties.
Since leaving college, Albrecht has been an active alum for Michigan and on social media. He’s also done some significant work in organizing basketball camps. And now, he will have the opportunity to prove himself as a coach. Big Ten fans certainly wish him the best.