Phone: 814-863-2672 • Email: fzc3@psu.edu
Chmiel (pronounced shuh-MEAL) joined the Lady Lion coaching staff in May 2010. Chmiel came to Happy Valley after spending the previous two years at San Diego State University as an assistant coach.
Chmiel's primary responsibility is working with the guards. He also serves as the team's defensive coordinator, takes a lead role in opponent scouting and assists in all recruiting efforts.
"Fred is an energetic, experienced teacher, and is a proven winner," Washington said. "He has a strong rapport with our players which allows him to get their maximum effort on the court. Under his tutelage, our guards corps has become one of the best in the country. As our defensive coordinator, Fred has helped elevate our defensive production every year. He brings an aggressive, intense attitude to our defense that I really like."
Chmiel played a pivotal role in helping backcourt mates Alex Bentley and Maggie Lucas develop into first team All-Big Ten and All-America performers. Bentley garnered first team All-Big Ten honors for the second-straight season and also took home honorable mention WBCA All-America accolades after finishing 11th in the Big Ten in scoring with a 14.1 average. Additionally, she was second in the Big Ten and in the Top 20 nationally in steals, averaging 3.0 per game, en route to Big Ten All-Defensive team accolades. Bentley was also fourth in the conference in assists (4.7) and seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4).
Lucas earned first team All-Big Ten and honorable mention Associated Press All-America honors as she transformed her game to become more of a threat off of the dribble to compliment her long-range accuracy. She finished third in the conference in scoring at a 19.5 per game clip and was just the fourth different Lady Lion to score more than 600 points in a season with 642 tallies on the year. Lucas was also Top 10 in the league in free throw percentage (.886 - 3rd), three-point field goal percentage (.410 - 3rd) and three-pointers made (2.5 - 2nd). The Narberth, Pa. native is just the third sophomore in school history to reach 1,000 points.
Chmiel also tutored Zhaque Gray, who took home All-Big Ten honorable mention honors for the first time in her career in 2011-12. She averaged a career-best 10.6 points per game and connected on 48 three-pointers with Chmiel's guidance.
In his first season, Chmiel had a tremendous impact on Gray, who made a marked improvement between her sophomore and junior years as she improved on her three-point shooting by 11% (.303 to .414) and her field goal shooting by 8.5% (.338 to .423). With a 9.5 scoring average, the Chicago native also nearly doubled her scoring output to finish fourth on the team. Chmiel also mentored Bentley, who became the 11th different player in school history to garner first team All-Big Ten honors as she was second in the conference in assists and 12th in scoring.
Additionally, Chmiel worked closely with 2011 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Lucas. Lucas, who was also the Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year, broke the Penn State and Big Ten single-season record for three-pointers (112) and also shattered Kelly Mazzante's Penn State freshman season scoring record with 552 tallies. Lucas finished the season 11th in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage (.426) and fourth in Division I in three-point field goals per game (3.2).
While at San Diego State, Chmiel 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, reside in State College with their daughter, Skylar Rosa (2).
