DMV Native Fred Lymas Named Head Coach at Shawnee State University

Silver Spring’s Fred Lymas, a former Paint Branch standout and college coaching veteran, takes the reins of the Shawnee State men’s basketball program in Ohio

DMV native Fred Lymas, who starred at Paint Branch High School, is the new head coach at Shawnee State University. / Shawnee State University

Silver Spring, Maryland native Fred Lymas is taking over the men’s basketball program at Shawnee State University in Ohio. 

Lymas Named Sixth Head Coach in Shawnee State History

Lymas, who graduated from Burtonsville, Maryland’s Paint Branch High School in 2005, becomes Shawnee State’s sixth head coach in program history. 

“Shawnee State is taking a chance on me, and it is a chance that I couldn’t be more honored to receive,” said Lymas, who spent last season as an assistant coach under Patrick Crarey II at Florida A&M. “I’m a coach that’s very hungry, that’s been around good teams and has had good college coaching experience. I’m very grateful for Shawnee State and for the search committee sitting down with me and giving me this opportunity.” 

A Coaching Journey Across the Nation

In addition to coaching at Florida A&M, Lymas has coached at various college basketball programs across the nation including Washington Adventist University in Maryland where he began his coaching journey with Crarey. 

“Patrick has been one of my best friends,” said Lymas. “He’s basically been my mentor, and he’s been a great mentor for me. We started together at the same time at Washington Adventist, and we basically started building something there from the ground level into a program that had a special culture within it.”  

Building Culture at Washington Adventist

During his tenure at Washington Adventist, Lymas helped build the program into a contender as the Shock made consecutive trips to the USCAA Tournament.

High School Success in Florida

Lymas also had coaching stops in Florida at St. Thomas, Barry University and served a three-year stint as the head coach at Avant Garde High School where he led the program to its first-ever winning season (19-4 record) and back-to-back district championship games and an appearance in the Florida State Tournament. 

From Paint Branch to the College Hardwood

Lymas, who had a standout high school career at Paint Branch, signed with Division I Morgan State and appeared in 22 games while starting eight in his freshman campaign before transferring to Shepherd University in West Virginia for his final three seasons. 

At Shepherd, Lymas was a three-year starter and was named team captain in his final two seasons. He scored more than 1,000 career points and finished among the school’s top 10 all-time leaders in assists. 

Rooted in DMV Hoops, Committed to Player Growth

“Growing up, that’s all I did,” Lymas said about the game of basketball. “I’d spend entire days playing inside or outside. The DMV has a great sense and knowledge of basketball, and my biggest thing now is to help players grow personally and professionally, help them grow as young men and get them to where they want to go.”