SAN DIEGO – Andrew Mitchell, a former Division I student-athlete with more than eight years of experience in collegiate athletics and at the United States Olympic Training Center, has been appointed the strength and conditioning coach for the San Diego State men's and women's basketball programs. Women's and men's head basketball coaches Stacie Terry and Brian Dutcher made the announcement jointly.
"We conducted a national search," head men's basketball coach Brian Dutcher said. "We had many outstanding candidates apply, but in the end both Coach Terry and I felt that Andrew was the most qualified to take over strength training for our programs. With his experience as both a college basketball and football player at Iowa State, he brings an understanding of what the needs of a college basketball player are, as well as a toughness from being a competitor. We believe in what his message is and are excited to have him here to help us achieve the goals we have set for our teams."
"Andrew will be a great addition to the Aztec basketball programs," head women's basketball coach Stacie Terry said. "He was an integral part of the recent success with the UC Irvine men's team and we expect his enthusiasm and eagerness to teach will lift the competitiveness of our teams."
Mitchell spent the past four and a half years as associate director of strength & conditioning at UC Irvine. In that time, he designed and implemented physical preparation programs, nutritional intervention and body composition programs for multiple Anteaters' sports programs, including the men's and women's basketball teams. During his time at UC Irvine, the men's basketball team won three Big West Conference championships and a pair of Big West Tournament championships (2015 & 2019). The 2019 team won a school record 31 games which included its first NCAA Tournament win, over Big 12 champion Kansas State. In addition, he worked with two track and field athletes, one of which qualified for the Ghanaian Olympic Team.
Before joining the staff at UC Irvine, Mitchell spent time six months at the United States Olympic Training Center as a strength & conditioning coach. He worked with athletes from four sports including the track & field team as well as the Paralympic track & field team.
Mitchell's first professional experience in the field came at Drake, where he spent just over two and a half years. In that time, he worked with the university's football, tennis, golf and track & field programs. He also designed preparation programs for 400-meter hurdler LaRon Bennett, who competed in four United States Olympic Trials. Drake's football program won the Pioneer Conference championship in both 2012 and 2013. His track & field athletes were conference champions and several recorded NCAA Regional qualifying marks, and the tennis team were three-time Missouri Valley Conference champs and competed in the NCAA Championship Tournament.
Before working at Drake, he was an intern at both TCU and Iowa State working with multiple programs over a year and a half.
"I'm very appreciative of Coaches Dutcher and Terry, their staffs and everyone at San Diego State for this opportunity," Mitchell said. "Everyone has been incredibly helpful throughout this process. Both teams seem like they are hungry and have very high hopes for this season and in the future. I'm excited to be a part of this organization and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to continue my career at SDSU."
Mitchell was a letterwinner in football at Iowa State and a member of the program's 2009 Insight.com Bowl championship team. He also lettered in basketball at ISU playing for head coach Fred Hoiberg. MItchell also found success in the classroom, earning a place on the Big-12 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll during his time as an undergraduate.
A 2011 graduate of Iowa State, with a degree in kinesiology, he earned a master's degree in educational leadership from Drake University in 2014. He is Strength & Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC) from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa).