Irish eyes calling
Miskinis leaves beloved Penn State to work at Notre Dame
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SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- If there's one thing that Greg Miskinis has learned from working in the world of collegiate athletics, it's never say never.
The now 37-year-old Penn State football product was a standout at Indian Valley High School and walked on to play for legendary Nittany Lion head coach Joe Paterno.
The day after he graduated as a Nittany Lion in 2008, Paterno hired Miskinis as a graduate assistant, a position he held until 2012. He remained on staff when Bill O'Brien took over for Paterno. Eventually, Miskinis became Penn State's assistant director of athletic performance.
Miskinis served in that role for the past 11 years, working with all 31 Penn State varsity teams in some capacity and overseeing all facets of performance enhancement for men's basketball for the nine years.
When former Nittany Lions head men's basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry left for the same job at the University of Notre Dame, he offered Miskinis the opportunity to come to South Bend, Ind. Miskinis accepted and now is the Fighting Irish's associate director for strength and conditioning for men's basketball.
"Heck no ... no chance ... h-e-double hockey sticks ... no way," said Miskinis when asked if he ever saw himself taking a job with the Fighting Irish. "I always disliked Notre Dame.
"People couldn't believe it," he added. "My wife, my parents, my friends, nobody. Even my kids - who are five and three - are die-hard Nittany Lions fans."
But Miskinis took the job offer in early June, leaving Happy Valley behind for the Golden Dome. The opportunity to continue working with Shrewsberry, who he called "the best boss he's ever had," was simply too good to pass up. "I've worked for like 35 head coaches in my life in different sports. And hands down, he's the best coach."
So, when the Nittany Lions take the field tonight in their season-opener against the University of West Virginia, Miskinis will be busy hosting basketball recruits nearly 500 miles away. The Irish host Tennessee State in an afternoon kickoff at Notre Dame Stadium.
Over the years, Miskinis experienced lots of highs and lows with Penn State basketball. There was the what-could-have-been season when the pandemic struck in 2020 and canceled the NCAA Tournament.
There was also this past season when the Nittany Lions made a magical run to March Madness by advancing to the Big Ten Conference championship game and falling short to Purdue and coming within a three-pointer of beating Texas and advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAAs.
Penn State had been Miskinis' entire career, a very uncommon trait in today's athletic carousel. In that time, he's been blessed to be a small part of two Big Ten football championships, two BCS bowls, a women's soccer national championship, nine Big Ten titles overall with various teams, and he's helped guide nine different Penn State athletic teams to postseason competition.
He's also helped 75 athletes get into professional leagues across seven sports.
Now he's sporting Notre Dame colors.
"I was surprised how good it felt to put the blue and gold on," Miskinis laughed. "The facilities out here have blown my mind. The Rolfs Athletic Hall is the basketball building. It has three floors - one with offices, another with lockers and the other with a practice court for each team, training room and weight room. It's getting redone in a couple of months." He's also been amazed by the mystique of Notre Dame, which has managed to avoid the mayhem created by the transfer portal.
Paterno first introduced him to the concept of the "grand experiment," mixing high-level performances in both academics and athletics. "That type of kid doesn't exist in many parts of the country," Miskinis said. "It's still the old way of doing things here.
"There's a great crossing of excellence here," he added. "You have the excellence in academics, you have the excellence in the people and you're building the excellence in athletics. I feel like in the country today in the NCAA landscape that doesn't exist in many places. To do it here, with a great group of humans, a great group of people that you know are going to give their all to develop it, and work as a team, I think there's something to be said for that. It really excites me. Can't wait."
And Miskinis didn't.
After Shrewsberry announced he was leaving Penn State, he took some time to get situated before reaching out to Miskinis. Penn State hired current coach Mike Rhoades relatively quickly. "The new staff was filling in and then this became open, and it was time to go," Miskinis explained.
"It's been perfect," he added. "I've been working in all areas of basketball. The academics are really challenging here. Navigating the college portal is not going to be easy, but coach is putting the right pieces together. A few years from now, I think you'll see a pretty good product and see the fruits of his labor."
Shrewsberry even encouraged Miskinis to commute back and forth for the first six weeks until his family could make the move from State College to the South Bend area in mid-July, stressing the importance of family time. "Coach Shrewsberry's just an unbelievable guy to work for. He's very family oriented," he said. "He cares about the values and the kids."
Now, he's ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work at Notre Dame.
"I like to make everything really competitive," Miskinis said. "I believe when you put two athletes in a competitive drill, you get the most out of them. My goal here is going to be to push these guys to the limit, while having fun and being really energetic and build this thing to the peak."
Still, making that drive wasn't easy.
"I would leave Monday morning around 3 a.m. and drive out there by nine," Miskinis said of traveling from State College on Mondays and returning from South Bend on Fridays. "After my Friday meetings, I'd leave and get there in time to pick up the kids at school in the afternoon. We're all here now and getting settled. My son is in kindergarten and my daughter is in daycare."
Despite Miskinis' years as a Nittany Lion, he doesn't regret his decision one bit. "My wife came with me (to the interview) and checked things out," he explained. "It was a very tough decision, and I couldn't pass it up. We decided this would be best for our family."
Miskinis and wife, Megan, who he calls "the rock of our family," have two children, Liam and Vera.