College men's basketball: SUNY Canton names Seikel new head coach

Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·2 min read

Sep. 8—CANTON — Dylan Seikel, a former NCAA Division III assistant coach at St. John Fisher University, has been named the next SUNY Canton Head men's basketball coach, replacing Shiva Senthil, who left to take the head coaching job at Oberlin.

Seikel spent the past four seasons as the Cardinals top assistant where the teams went 67-27.

"Dylan's experience helped him rise to the top of an extremely competitive pool of national candidates," athletic director Randy Sieminski said. "His experiences as the top assistant at a perennial power like St. John Fisher, along with his involvement with AAU and his playing experience will serve him well. He was tremendously impressive throughout the interview process and brings a wealth of enthusiasm and knowledge. We look for him to build on our recent success on the court, including an NCAA playoff appearance just a couple of years ago."

With Seikel on the bench, the Cardinals posted 18 wins in the 2018-19 campaign reaching the Empire 8 Championship. The success continued for Fisher in 2019-20 as the Cardinals won 19 games and claimed their ninth Empire 8 Championship after defeating top-seeded Nazareth to advance to the program's 17th NCAA tournament.

Seikel would go on to receive high praise at the conclusion of the season as the National Association of Basketball Coaches tabbed him to the Under Armour 30 Under 30 Team, which recognizes the top coaches across all three Divisions who are under the age of 30.

In 2020-21, Seikel helped lead Fisher back to the postseason after winning an Empire 8 Regular Season Championship. He helped groom the Empire 8 Player of the Year and the Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year. Seikel's impact continued to show in 2021-22 as Fisher was once again back in the national conversation. The Cardinals posted 19 wins and boasted the Empire 8 Player of the Year for the fourth straight season.

Seikel previously spent time as an assistant with Case Western Reserve in 2018.

Seikel, who was a student-athlete at Wabash College before transferring to Division I Akron University, worked in the high school ranks as an assistant coach for Revere High School for two years where he helped teach basketball fundamentals and aided in the development of numerous collegiate athletes including a Division I player.

Seikel graduated from Akron with a Bachelor's degree in education and brings a wealth of experience coaching at the AAU level where he was the president and co-founder of the Akron Bobcats.