After leading the Voorhees College (S.C.) men’s basketball program to great heights for six seasons, United States Sports Academy alumnus Derrick Mitchell was hired to build on that success at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas.
Mitchell earned a Master of Sports Science dual degree in Sports Coaching and Sports Studies from the Academy in 2009.
“I appreciate the Academy because of what it did for my career and for what it has done for so many coaches like me,” Mitchell said. “My Academy degree made me qualified to coach at the college level. I can’t say enough about how the Academy helped me and how it has given so many other people an avenue to prepare themselves for careers as coaches.
“When I studied with the Academy, I was so fortunate to have professors who facilitated great discussions among students. Those discussions helped me to see what other people in my field were experiencing and how they dealt with certain things that happened in their day-to-day work. I also appreciated that my teachers encouraged me and shared their experiences with me. When I graduated, I felt prepared to be the best coach I could be.”
At Wiley College, Mitchell takes over a team that has qualified for the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament in 15 consecutive seasons and reached the semifinals in each of the last four visits.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Mitchell said. “I felt like Wiley is a very unique place with a ton of potential. I was sold once I heard the vision President Herman J. Felton Jr. has for Wiley College. I want to thank God first and foremost as well as Dr. Felton for believing in me and entrusting me with this amazing opportunity. I look forward to much success on and off the court.”
Mitchell guided Voorhees, which competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II, to 21 wins in his second season in 2015-16 after winning 14 in his first. The program continued to rise with NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship appearances in 2018 and 2019 and American Independent Institution Titles in 2017 and 2019. In six seasons, Mitchell led Voorhees to 114 victories.
“I love the leadership aspect of coaching,” Mitchell said. “I love being able to make a positive impact in the lives of others. I appreciate having the opportunity to not only make my athletes better basketball players, but to also teach them some life skills and help them get their college education so they can be prepared for life after sports.”
Last season, Mitchell’s squad led the NAIA in steals per game and turnover margin. The team was sixth in opponents’ 3-point field goal percentage and 13th in offensive rebounds per game.
“My teams run a break-neck speed,” Mitchell said. “We are going to make the other team turn the ball over and we are going to score a lot of points. It is a fun brand of basketball.”
Prior to Voorhees, Mitchell was an assistant coach at Southern Arkansas University’s women’s basketball team. He helped it win 12 games – which was more than the previous three seasons combined – and reach the conference tournament for the first time since 2006-07.
He previously was the middle school coach at R.B. Hudson High School in Selma, Ala. Under Mitchell’s leadership, the school won 25 games and two championships. He also was an assistant coach at Wallace Community College and helped the program to consecutive conference championships.
Mitchell earned his bachelor’s degree in economics at Tougaloo College (Miss.) in 2002.
