From player to coach: Rasnick returns to leadMC basketball to national championship
Myles Rasnick (‘23) rejoined the MC athletics program this year as Assistant Coach for the men’s basketball team after playing professionally for two seasons overseas. With his experience and skills, he hopes to bring a new spirit of connection and team chemistry that will pave the way for another championship title.
The pressure of maintaining success and momentum is a challenge faced by the Maryville College men’s basketball program after making the finals in the CCS conference tournament for the last three years. With back to back wins in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, MC has proven that they have what it takes to win a CCS championship title.
However, with Rasnick in the coaches office, bigger and better goals are set for the program as they compete for the CCS championship title one last time before entering the Southern Athletic Association, which will be a step up in competition.
“My biggest motivation is to make a national championship run,” Rasnick said. “That’s the one thing I didn’t get to do as a player, so it’s the one thing I know I [want] to get as a coach.”
Rasnick plans to do this by establishing connections with every player and prioritizing a strong team chemistry. He believes that the connections made through the sport is the largest benefit for student athletes, and speaks from experience when sharing that it is what helped him when he started playing professionally.
“It’s pretty hard to up and leave,” Rasnick said. He moved to Poland only a few months after graduating.
“To live in a whole new country where you don’t know the language… making those relationships; that’s a skill that I learned,” he said. “No player plays their best when they’re nervous and not fully into where they’re at.”
Coach Raul Placeres, men’s basketball head coach, is very appreciative to have someone with goals like Rasnick to help lead the team. Placeres is also appreciative of the precedent Rasnick set as a player and believes it is carried on through his coaching.
“Myles coming here was one of the best things that happened to our program,” Placeres said. “He left a legacy that changed the landscape of the team. He is the essence of ‘you get out of it what you put into it’.”
The standard Rasnick built as a player carries into his coaching. Rasnick plans to help Head Coach Raul Placeres bolster the recruiting efforts, and will assist with game scheme and player development, offering his support to anyone who walks through the Cooper Athletic Center doors.
As a successful player, Rasnick can inspire and motivate players with his firsthand experience of the game – offering his insight into their skills and contributions.
“Trying to develop their skills [to] work within the offense, defense, and [to encourage] the attitude that Coach P wants them to bring to the table is something that I take seriously,” Rasnick said.
During his career playing for Maryville, Rasnick averaged 17.2 points per game and 3.4 assists per game. Shooting, he averaged 51.6% from the field and 42% from beyond the three point line, and holds the highest free-throw line percentage in MC program history at 89.3%.
He was also CCS Player of the Year in the 2022-23 season, USA South Defensive Player of the Year in the 2021-22 season, and won the J.D. Davis award in 2023.
“He’s one of the most decorated Scots of all time, and one of the best players I’ve ever coached,” Placeres said. “I had that conversation with him [about playing professionally], and I felt strongly that he could do it. He had two great years, and then the opportunity presented itself [to be assistant coach]. Who better to tell the story and help me push this forward?”
After one season in Poland and the next in Latvia where his team made the postseason, he felt his playing career was over.
“I’m hanging up the jersey for a polo,” Rasnick said.
He rejoins the program after playing three seasons as a Scot and two seasons of professional basketball, ready to push MC to the NCAA Tournament, making his and the program’s dream come true.
Men’s Basketball Head Coach Raul Placeres (‘06) and Assistant Coach Myles Rasnick (‘23) standing together in front of the basketball trophy case.
Photo courtesy of Eli Cauthorn