PORT ANGELES — The Pirates have a new leader.
Peninsula College has hired Mitch Freeman, an assistant coach at California State Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, as its men’s basketball coach, following the departure of Lance Von Vogt, who starts his new job as head coach at William Jessup University in Rocklin, Calif., next week.
Freeman becomes the fifth head men’s basketball coach in the program was revived in 1997.
“I am fortunate for this incredible opportunity to serve as head coach at Peninsula College,” Freeman said in a release.
Freeman, a Northwest native, has spent eight years as a member of head coach Joe Callero’s staff.
He worked under Callero at Seattle University from 2005-2009, and then followed his mentor to Cal Poly, where he served as the lead scout in charge of game preparation and defense.
As a recruiter with the Mustangs, his primary region was Washington, Oregon and California, which serve him well at Peninsula, as all three states are fall within the NWAACC’s permitted recruiting area.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mitch to Peninsula,” said Jack Huls, Peninsula’s vice president of student services who chaired the hiring committee.
“Mitch rose to the top in a very competitive pool, and we are fortunate to land a coach who will continue the established tradition at Peninsula College of developing student-athletes that will be good students, good citizens, and compete for NWAACC championships.”
Freeman not only worked under Collero, a former NWAACC championship coach at Highline Community College, at Cal Poly, but he also was on staff with Mark Amaral for two years before Amaral took the associate head coaching job at Pepperdine in 2011.
Amaral was Peninsula College’s head men’s basketball coach in 1997 when the college resurrected the program that had been dropped in 1981.
Amaral coached the Pirates for three seasons before to taking an assistant coaching position at UC-Santa Barbara.
He continues to be an influential Pirate supporter.
“Mitch has been on staff with, and mentored by, some outstanding coaches including former P.C. coach Mark Amaral and current head coach Joe Callero,” Huls said.
“Joe was the head coach at Highline Community College where I was also on staff in 1997-98 when [the Thunderbirds] won back-to-back NWAACC championships, and went 62-3 over that two year period.
“Mitch has learned from some of the very best, and we can’t wait to get up and running in the next few weeks.”
Freeman said he will first attempt to recruit the players who were on Peninsula’s roster as freshmen last year, as well as those recruited by coach Von Vogt.
He also is involved with student-athletes he was following in his recruiting efforts at Cal Poly.
“I am eager to connect with each player this week while getting to know them on a more personal level,” Freeman said.
“I can’t express how excited I am to get started, and help build on the success that is Pirate basketball.”
Freeman has a reputation of having a strong work ethic, strong values and a resume of success, having worked on highly regarded coaching staffs at Cal Poly and Seattle University.
“Mitch is a great fit for us,” Peninsula College director of athletics Rick Ross said.
“His roots are in the Northwest, he has the preparation and experience to win NWAACC championships, he has the values and ethics to do it the right way, and to produce a quality product that this college and this community can be proud of.
“And more than all of that, he’s an outstanding human being, and one we are excited to bring into our Pirate family.”
In addition to his role as head men’s basketball coach, Freeman will serve as the college’s athletic development coordinator, in which he will be responsible for spearheading fund-raising efforts for athletic scholarships and managing the Pirate Athletic Association.
Freeman admitted his new job will be bittersweet because he leaves behind a Cal Poly team to which he had become very attached.
He met with the Mustang players earlier in the week to share the news.
“I am humbled and blessed to have worked for Coach Callero over the past eight years,” Freeman said.
“Under his guidance, he has prepared me for this opportunity, and I am forever grateful.”
“I also want to thank the current and former players here at Cal Poly,” Freeman continued.
“They are the reason for the continued success of the program. A piece of my heart will always be with Cal Poly and the city of San Luis Obispo.”
During four-year his stint at Cal Poly, Freeman helped construct one of the top defenses in NCAA Division I basketball.
Under Freeman’s guidance during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, Cal Poly twice ranked among the top 25 defensive programs in the nation.
The Mustangs also led the Big West Conference in each of the previous three seasons in points allowed per game.
Cal Poly’s defensive strength directly translated into historic on-court success.
With Freeman on the bench, Cal Poly matched or exceeded its win total from the previous season each year — a feat not accomplished at Cal Poly for 41 years.
Callero called Freeman “the heart and soul of the Mustang defense.”
“His understanding of our philosophy has been key to our program’s improvement during the last four years,” Callero said.
“He’s one of the brightest young coaches in the profession.”
During his four years at Seattle University, Freeman helped the Redhawks to 75 victories, and aided the program to a successful transition to the Division I level.
During Freeman’s final campaign in 2008-09, the Redhawks posted a 21-8 record that translated to the program’s highest single-season winning percentage in 45 seasons.
Freeman began his coaching career in Washington, serving as an assistant for the boy’s varsity basketball team at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.
His overall duties with the program included the improvement of guard play, coordinating off-season conditioning sessions, scouting the opposition and video editing.
During his only season with the Tomahawks, Freeman helped the program reach the Washington state district playoffs.
A 2004 graduate of Washington State with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and an emphasis in health and fitness education, Freeman also served as a student assistant with the Cougars (1999-04).
Under Dick Bennett, Freeman assisted with video exchange and other administrative duties.
Freeman, who completed his master’s degree in education administration from Grand Canyon University in 2008, spent three years teaching in both the Seattle and Marysville school districts.
“I want to personally thank President Dr. Luke Robins, Jack Hauls, Rick Ross and the entire search committee for placing their the confidence in me to head the Peninsula College basketball program,” Freeman said.
“This will be a great move for my family, and I look forward to working and living in the beautiful city of Port Angeles.”
Freeman and his wife Nicole have one son, Eli.