Freilich enters his third season with the Red Dragons and has made an immediate impact in his first two seasons on the staff. He is widely recognized as a tireless recruiter, a student of the game, and one of the rising young coaches in Division III.
In the 2019-2020 campaign, the Red Dragons won 19 games and reached their fourth straight SUNYAC Final Four. Freilich was a large influence on the team winning a program record 14 SUNYAC contests. He was instrumental in a program record four players receiving All-Conference honors. His daily skill work and conditioning played a pivotal role in the success of the team and players.
During his first season, the Red Dragons won 16 games, reached the SUNYAC Final Four, and earned an East Region Ranking. He designed individual skill workouts for players, created team conditioners, assisted with practice instruction, and scouted opponents.
“Mike is a tremendous asset to our staff,” says Head Coach Cameron Conover. “He immediately made a positive impact on our program and works tirelessly day in a day out to ensure our program continues to evolve. He is an excellent communicator and is committed to seeing the players in our program excel as student-athletes.”
Freilich also acted as the recruiting coordinator, providing detailed recruiting reports, coordinating recruiting schedules, and going out on the road to assess potential student-athletes. In 2019 he planned and successfully implemented an Elite Camp which hosted over two dozen potential student-athletes from around the state.
From 2016-18, Freilich worked as a Graduate Assistant for LaGrange College (GA) men’s basketball under the direction of Head Coach Kendal Wallace. During his two years on staff, the Panthers won 31 games including the USA South Tournament Championship in 2017, earning a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament. During each season, LaGrange earned NABC Academic Excellence recognition. Freilich played a vital role in all aspects of the program including recruiting, scouting, statistical analysis, and on-court coaching for both the Varsity and JV teams. He was the lead recruiter of Jalen McCallum, who led NCAA Division III in blocked shots, is the all-time blocks leader at LaGrange, and earned All-Conference honors.
Prior to LaGrange, Freilich spent four seasons as a student-assistant for Head Coach Bill Geitner at Eastern Connecticut State University. A perennial Northeast Region powerhouse, Freilich was part of three straight Little East Conference regular season titles, as well as two NCAA tournament appearances.
In addition to his collegiate experience, Freilich was also a Head Coach within the Connecticut Roughriders AAU program. He primarily worked with the 17U Boys teams, traveling around New England and the Tri-State area competing in multiple tournaments. Freilich guided his 17U team to a Nutmeg State Championship title in 2016. He also helped to place numerous players onto current NCAA rosters including Eastern Connecticut, Connecticut College, and Westfield State.
Freilich earned his Master’s Degree from LaGrange College in Philanthropy & Development and earned his B.S in Sports & Leisure Management from Eastern Connecticut State University. He currently has begun a second master’s degree at SUNY Cortland.
