May 6, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Penn State Lady Lions have added Fred Chmiel (pronounced shuh-MEAL) to the staff as an assistant coach, head coach Coquese Washington announced today. Chmiel, who replaces Itoro Coleman, who is now the head coach at Clemson, comes to Happy Valley after spending the last two years at San Diego State University as an assistant coach.
"We are thrilled to have Fred join our staff," Washington said. "He is a very energetic and an experienced teacher, and is a proven winner. He is certain to have a positive impact on our program immediately."
"My family and I are very excited about this great opportunity to be at Penn State," Chmiel said. "Coach Washington and her staff have done a great job with this program and I look forward to being apart of Penn State's continued success and great history."
Chmiel has spent the last two seasons at San Diego State where he worked with the perimeter players, scouted opponents and served as the academic liaison. Chmiel helped the Aztecs to back-to-back Mountain West Conference regular-season titles and the 2010 Mountain West Conference Tournament Championship. During his tenure, SDSU earned its first NCAA Tournament bid in 13 years in 2009 and again led the Aztecs to the "Big Dance" in 2010.
The Palmer, Alaska native mentored 2010 WNBA Draft pick Jené Morris and all-conference pick Quenese Davis. Under Chmiel's direction, Morris became just the second player in Mountain West Conference history to win Defensive Player of the Year honors twice and was the first WNBA Draft selection in school history. Davis garnered third team All-Mountain West Conference accolades in 2010 and finished her career as the school's all-time assists leader.
Prior to his coaching stint at San Diego State, Chmiel served an as assistant coach under Dawn Staley at Temple for two seasons. He helped the Owls to two Atlantic 10 Championships and a pair of NCAA Tournament berths. In Chmiel's two seasons in Philadelphia, the Owls posted a 46-21 overall record with a 25-3 mark in A-10 play.
No stranger to professional women's basketball, Chmiel has WNBA ties, serving as an advance scout for the Indiana Fever and Detroit Shock and as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Sting. He mentored former Lady Lions Helen Darling and Kelly Mazzante while with the Sting for the 2005 season. Additionally, he was the head coach of the San Jose Spiders of the National Women's Basketball League in 2006 where he led the Spiders to their best franchise record and a runner-up finish in the NWBL.
Chmiel began his coaching career in men's basketball with stints as the head coach at Lassen College (1999-05) and at his alma mater Feather River College (1995-99), both of which are in California. He led Lassen College to three Golden Valley Conference titles in his six seasons at the helm. Chmiel also served as an assistant men's coach at Feather River College in 1994-95.
A standout guard at Feather River College in Quincy, Calif., Chmiel averaged 12.5 points and 6.0 assists in two seasons. He was a first team All-Golden Valley Conference choice and was a two-time team Defensive MVP. Following his junior college career, Chmiel played for two seasons at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.
Chmiel earned his bachelor's degree in liberal studies from Excelsior College in Albany, N.Y. He and his wife, Julie, a Pittsburgh native, have a three-month old daughter Skylar Rosa.
The Lady Lions hold several camps throughout the summer. There is a Lady Lion Basketball Camp available for girls of all ages, ranging from shooting camp to elite camp. The 2010 Lady Lion Basketball Camp schedule is as follows: Shooting Camp (June 13-15), Elite Camp (June 20-22), Skills Camp (June 20-23), Total Package Team Camp (June 24-26) and Games Galore Team Camp (August 6-8). For more information on Lady Lion Basketball Camps, please visit psusportscamps.com and click on Lady Lion Basketball Camp.
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