Freedman and the Cougar Culture

When the 2021-2022 season begins, head coach Will Freedman will begin his seventh season at Lassen College. The Santa Monica native began the Susanville adventure as a volunteer assistant coach in the 20214-2015 season and took over head coach duties a year later. Since the head coach has taken over the Cougars have been competitive and Freedman has done a great job moving guys on to the next level. “We want to have guys in our program that have a chip on their shoulder,” answered Freedman when asked about what type of players he wants to represent his program. The chip is just part of the equation as the head coach described his culture with a working, family atmosphere that values loyalty.

Before the players have a chance to be a part of the program, the recruiting process starts. It has not been an easy task to get players to come to the Northern California college located less than two hours away from Reno, Nevada. “It is tough for us without having scholarships,” said Freedman. The one area where recruiting has been a big hit has been with the transfers. “The transfers really thrive at our school,” added Freedman. Once the transfers arrive, they realize they have one last chance to get it done on and off the floor to move on to the four year level. When it comes to exposure, it is not always an easy task to get scouts to come up to the Susanville area. “Our preseason is important as we try to get to the best tournaments for exposure,” said Freedman when asked about moving guys forward. The Golden Valley Conference consists of six teams and it is not ideal for most of the other state to travel to as schools are widely spread out.

When it comes to the expectations of the Cougar program, it is not different from any other school. “We are trying to get better every day first and foremost,” said Freedman. The competitiveness has helped moved on more than 30 guys to the four year level since the head coach has arrived in Susanville. “We want to compete for a conference championship and be a team that makes the post season each year,” added the Cougars head coach. Time will tell as the season comes closer, but we can expect the Lassen College to be one of the teams to be competitive in a conference that has some solid basketball that is often overlooked.