Miami University's Travis Steele is 'zagging' | People to Watch

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Travis Steele, 44, Miami University men's basketball head coach

Travis Steele is building a Mid-American Conference power in Oxford.

The Miami University men's basketball head coach has rebuilt the RedHawks into one of the best mid-major teams in the country. Steele won 25 games last year, the most wins in school history. In the current 2025-2026 campaign, Miami got off to a program-best 20-0 start and were the last undefeated mid-major team standing.

What's been the secret to the RedHawks turnaround, now in Steele's fourth season at the helm? Culture. He emphasizes how important high school recruiting has been for Miami in an era where many Division I programs look to transfer portal additions.

"While everybody is zigging, we're zagging," Steele said. "Finding guys that really fit us and fit our core values has been the key. It's harder than ever to have a great culture and a culture that's sustainable."

Steele has honed-in on player development as the RedHawks competitive edge. He built his staff with that goal in mind, praising their efforts to build up home-grown talent with individualized training plans. "You can't be great at everything," Steele said, "but that is the one thing that we've chosen (to be great at)."

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Who is Travis Steele?

Steele has been a Cincinnati resident since 2008, when he was hired to join Sean Miller's staff at Xavier. He stayed on as an assistant under Chris Mack, then rose to head coach in 2018. Steele spent four years as the head coach of the Musketeers, ending his tenure with a 70-50 overall record. He was hired by Miami in 2022.

Steele speaks glowingly of the environment at Miami. The RedHawks coach believes the unique experience in Oxford gives the RedHawks an edge.

"Our recruiting pitch is our guys' experience here," he said. "You're gonna get a great education, the social scene is awesome, the energy of campus is elite. There's a lot of reasons to stay here at Miami."

What goals does Steele have for 2026?

As a coach, Steele is looking to lead Miami to its first MAC tournament championship and March Madness appearance since 2007. He expressed a desire just to see the team improve each and every day.

Personally, Steele talked about continuing to grow as a husband and father to his three children. "I've learned that families should always come first," Steele said. "I would say that I've made that change, but I've got to continue to be better."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Travis Steele a 2026 person to watch