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Forged in Steele

Resilient Miami RedHawks off to undefeated start and first Top 25 ranking in 27 years

By Miami University

January 20^th, 2026

Travis Steele: 'The journey's been fun'

Miami University Men’s Basketball Coach Travis Steele strides up the stairs in Millett Hall after Friday’s basketball practice and heads across the concourse to his office.

“You good with dogs?” he asks, before opening the door where Ryder is waiting excitedly. Once a week, he brings the small dog to his spacious office, which sports a large mural featuring Miami’s basketball legends, including Wally Szczerbiak, who led the RedHawks to the Sweet 16 in 1999.

There is no desk, only a large conference table with a TV and a white board where Steele regularly meets with his assistant coaches and players. He removed the large desk when he joined Miami in 2022.

“I like space,” said Steele, who has been focused on transforming the program since his arrival.

The RedHawks are in the midst of a magical start to this season. They are undefeated, with a 19-0 record and a 26-game winning streak at home, including Saturday’s thrilling 105-102 victory in overtime against Buffalo after a game-winning 3-pointer by senior guard Peter Suder.

“The journey’s been fun,” Steele said.

During a recent meal at the Gross Center to rally around the men’s and women’s basketball teams, Suder said, “It’s awesome that there’s a buzz going around campus. We just want to continue that.”

On Monday afternoon, Miami was ranked No. 25 in the Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the first time since Feb. 15, 1999.

Miami University Men's Basketball Coach Travis Steele sits in his Millett Hall office with his dog, Ryder, after a recent practice.

Miami Men's Basketball Coach Travis Steele's office features a larger mural of past Miami basketball standouts.

‘It’s come to fruition’

Steele became Miami’s head coach on March 31, 2022, after completing a four-year stint as the head coach at Xavier University. He posted a 70-50 record there and led the Musketeers to two post-season berths.

After his hiring, Miami Athletic Director David Sayler said Steele brought unmatched energy to the program, a CEO-like vision for where Miami Basketball could go, and a relentless work ethic to match that vision.

“He is the right person to raise our program to the next level and put us back in the upper echelon of the MAC (Mid-American Conference) and beyond,” Sayler said.

That was Steele’s goal, too.

“I said it’s probably going to take until Year 3 to see significant growth to where we’re going to be able to compete for championships and have a legit chance,” Steele said. “And it’s come to fruition. We’re right where I thought we would be.”

Steele equates building the program to building a house. That meant spending time during his first two years on getting the foundation right, which entailed focusing on culture and “getting guys that fit me, fit Miami, fit our core values, and just making sure that we live those core values every single day.”

Last year, people started getting excited when the so-called framing went up. The RedHawks won 25 games — the most wins in a season in Miami’s history. “And we were one second away from the NCAA Tournament in the championship game,” he said.

Miami fell to top-seeded Akron, 76-74, at Rocket Arena in Cleveland during last year’s MAC Championship. Akron fired the game-winning shot with two seconds left as the Zips secured an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

After that loss, Steele said they started focusing on this season right away.

“You know, it’s crazy, you go from losing the MAC Championship game — a heartbreaker — on a Saturday night to having player meetings on Monday morning to figure out who’s staying, who’s going,” he said. “It’s immediate with the landscape we’re in with the transfer portal, so you’ve got to figure it out very quickly, and you’ve got to have a plan.”

The RedHawks were fortunate that they have all the players who they were able to retain from last year’s team, he said, noting they did lose a couple of guys. “But then we added one guy from the transfer portal.”

That low number is unusual. Most teams are probably adding five, six, maybe even seven players a year in the portal, he noted. “We recruit a lot from high school. We’re probably the youngest team in the league right now.”

The team’s success shows they’re getting the right players, added Steele, who signed a contract extension last January that runs through the 2031-2032 season.

Smiling man stands in a gymnasium, holding a basketball. He wears a dark hoodie, grey pants, and a whistle hangs around his neck. A basketball hoop is visible behind him. — Miami Men's Basketball Coach Travis Steele poses on the Millett Hall court.

In the national spotlight

The RedHawks’ undefeated record has been getting national attention, including from the March Madness social media account, which has spotlighted in recent days the handful of undefeated Division I teams across the country.

“I’m glad our university and our men’s basketball program are getting the attention and recognition. Our players deserve that, so it’s been nice,” said Steele, emphasizing, “I’m less concerned about the record and more concerned about the trajectory of our team. Are we getting better? I think the results will take care of themselves if we do that.”

Steele talks to the players about not getting distracted, stressing the importance of staying focused. But he doesn’t mind Miami being in the spotlight at this point in the season because it brings positive attention to the university.

“In my opinion, this is the most beautiful campus in the world. I’d love for my kids to go here,” he said of his two sons, 12 and 6, and daughter, 3. “It’s the quintessential college experience. It doesn’t get any better. I’d love to continue to raise that awareness across the country and hopefully we do that through some success.”

Travis Steele looks at the scoreboard during Saturday's game at Millett Hall against Buffalo.

Travis Steele encourages his team during Saturday's game against Buffalo.

Travis Steele watches the action during Saturday's game against Buffalo.

Connecting with the past

Steele grew up in Indiana and attended Butler University, graduating with honors in 2004 with a Marketing degree. He played for Butler and also was an assistant varsity basketball coach at Ben Davis High School from 2001-2004.

He was familiar with Miami and the proud tradition and history of the program.

“I felt like Miami was as good of a mid-major program as there was in the country. Coach (Charlie) Coles, Coach (Herb) Sendek; I was kind of during that era. And just the great players, great team, success both on and off the court.”

Still, he discovered something special after joining Miami.

“I probably didn’t realize how big the brand was before I came here, if I’m being honest. It took me aback a little bit: the pride and passion people who went here have for Miami,” he said. “It’s a little different than maybe the previous places I’ve been. I never felt it like this.”

That support has come from alumni such as Szczerbiak ’99, perhaps the team’s biggest fan, tweeting and retweeting their success on social media.

Steele said Szczerbiak came back in the fall and was around the team when they held Uptown Madness during Homecoming Weekend, which included a dunk contest and 3-point contests.

“He went to our red-and-white scrimmage, so he’s been very, very active,” Steele said. “He’s been awesome since Day 1. I spoke to him on the very first day I took the job that it got announced. He’s just been super supportive and excited, I think, for the success that we’ve had.”

Steele continued, “Whether it’s Wally Szczerbiak, Ron Harper, or Damon Frierson, we have a really, really strong tradition here. We’re the all-time winningest program in the MAC. And those guys all text me after games,” he said. “It’s good to see the former players, because you’ve got to connect the past with the present.”

Ultimately, they want to advance to the NCAA Tournament “and get the program to where it’s never been before,” Steele said, referencing that earlier Sweet 16 trip.

“Can we get back to that level?” he said, then added, “I don’t want to be satisfied with just making it.”

On a basketball court, a man in a — Wally Szczerbiak, left, talks to the crowd as University Ambassador Dr. Renate Crawford, Newton, President Gregory Crawford, and Swoop look on during the 2025 One Miami game.

A crowd gathers at night with people holding up — Wally Szczerbiak holds up a scorecard during Uptown Madness in September.

The right 'mindset'

Social media posts after games have spotlighted a new tradition: the team’s postgame celebratory chain necklace featuring an M medallion that rotates between the RedHawks players. Steele started the tradition to recognize effort that goes beyond scoring points.

“We wanted to glorify things that maybe don’t show up on the stats sheet as much because there’s a lot that goes into winning,” he said. “There are lots of ways you can impact the game. We call them EGBs, Energy Generating Behaviors.”

It can range from high-fiving someone and talking to a teammate in a positive way to such things as diving for a loose ball, running the floor hard, or rebounding.

“We have this equation that we do and that we give out for that week of practice. Who earned the chain? And we do it after every game,” he said. “We track them during the game as well and then the guys are allowed to give a speech after the game.”

It’s all part of Steele’s program that focuses on culture. He sports a red “Miami Mindset” bracelet on his wrist as a reminder to live out the team’s four core values. When the players close a huddle, they shout “mindset” in unison.

Those core values are to compete at every moment, even with academics; carry your brother, meaning being invested in each other in good times and bad; embody undeniable confidence (“I want guys who have swagger and belief, but we make sure they understand that’s earned,” Steele said); and strive for more, meaning to aim to overcome complacency.

“We live life only one way,” Steele said, “and you should go all the way in.”

Antwone Woolfolk holds up the postgame celebratory chain necklace following a Miami victory.

Travis Steele, right, talks to the coaching staff during a game at Millett Hall.

Travis Steele, right, talks with player Almar Atlason during the Buffalo game.

Celebrating with fans

For their 20th game, the RedHawks are on the road for a 7 p.m. tipoff tonight against the 14-4 Kent State Golden Flashes. After that, five home games remain, including the One Miami game on Jan. 31 against Northern Illinois.

During last year’s One Miami game at Millett, students were rolling back covers over the seats in the upper part of the packed arena.

“It was a neat thing to see. It was awesome,” Steele said, recalling some other games with strong attendance, including the nationally televised game against Kent State and Senior Night.

“The crowds were excellent, especially from where we were my Year 1,” he said, pointing out he has a picture at his house of his first game, against Evansville, when the crowd was sparse.

“It was not that there weren't many people, but to see where it is now compared to where it was is neat. And hopefully we can make that happen when our students come back here.”

Spring semester starts Monday. During the break, the men’s swim team came to a game to show their unique display of support — donning Speedos. They cheered loudly behind the opposing team’s foul line as a distraction and even held up a “swimming” teammate for added emphasis.

Steele loved it.

“I really, really appreciated their support. It was awesome. It was so funny, too, with the swimming. I did tell them, ‘Listen, we’re going to return the favor, but I don’t think we’re going to be in Speedos; nobody wants to see that,’” he quipped.

Steele enjoys how the Miami community supports each other, including student-athletes going to each other’s events. “It’s neat to see. We try to do the same thing. We’ll go to the women’s basketball games. (Coach) Glenn Box is doing a great job,” he said, noting his players have also turned out for football and hockey games.

Steele emphasizes the value of having fans in the stands, especially Miami students.

“The students have to be the heartbeat of everything. We want to put out a product to where not only we’re winning, but it’s fun to watch. And hopefully we inspire people to take even more pride in Miami,” he said. “Student attendance is huge, and it’s very noticeable. It makes it a really tough place to play.”