University of Denver Athletics

Michael Orlich enters his second year as Director of Basketball Operations in 2024-25 for the Pioneers.

Orlich handles all aspects of the operation of the program, including travel arrangements, weekly itineraries and serving as a liaison between the program and the rest of the department. 

BEFORE DENVER: 
Orlich comes to Denver after spending the past year at Menlo College.

At Menlo College, Orlich was tasked with helping the coaching staff implement offensive and defensive strategies as well as the implementation of Hustle Stats’, which is a very in-depth statistical tool for the evaluation of players and their development. He also led the way in recruiting and scouting.
 
Before his time Menlo College, he served as a Player Development Coach at Unlimited Potential Basketball with NBA Skills Trainer Packie Turner. In his time there he worked with multiple High School, College, and Professional basketball players.
 
 In that time, he also worked the Bill Duffy Agencies NBA Pre-Draft. Working alongside 6 future draft picks. Most notable players include 2021-2022 Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes.

Prior to his time there, Orlich spent two years as a Graduate Assistant for Head Coach Kyle Smith at Washington State University. He had a majority of responsibilities with a background in Administration, Player Development, and Video/Analytics.
 
Orlich followed Head Coach Kyle Smith to WSU from the University of San Francisco where he was a player for the Dons for his final two seasons.
 
Orlich earned his degree in Psychology from the University of San Francisco in 2019 and his master’s degree at Washington State in 2021.