Dayton hires strength coach who worked last season at UConn

Ed Streit is a Chicago native who also previously worked for Chicago Bulls

Hiring a new strength coach after the departure of Casey Cathrall ranked high on Dayton Flyers coach Anthony Grant's list of priorities this summer. On June 21, he said there was a "sense of urgency" to find someone who could get to work with the players during the second summer session.

On Monday, Dayton announced it had found its guy: Ed Streit, 29, who was the strength and conditioning coach last season for the men’s basketball team at the University of Connecticut. Streit, a Chicago native who graduated from Illinois State in 2012, will have the same position at Dayton.

"Ed brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from his time in the NBA and on multiple college campuses,” Grant said in a press release. “He possesses the character, passion and work ethic that make him a great fit as we pursue our vision for Dayton basketball. Our players and staff are excited to have him on board."

» SUMMER UPDATE: What Grant has seen so far

Prior to spending one season at UConn, Streit spent 3½ years as a strength and conditioning associate coach with the Chicago Bulls. Earlier in his career, he spent two years as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach with the men's and women's basketball teams at Arizona State. He also worked at DePaul as a sports performance intern.

"I'm excited to join the University of Dayton basketball program and be a part of what we are building here," Streit said in a press release. "A number of people I know in our business have nothing but great things to say about UD and Coach Grant. He is very well-respected by people in the game. I'm thrilled to be here."

» RECRUITING UPDATE: Latest on scholarship offers

Streit is the second new strength coach to join Dayton athletics in recent weeks. The women's team has its own strength coach for the first time. On June 27, coach Shauna Green announced the hiring of Rich McLoughlin as the strength and conditioning coach for the program.

McLoughlin is a 2014 UD graduate who worked the last six months as an intern and assistant sports performance coach at Stanford University.

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