Newly minted Long Beach State women’s basketball coach Jody Wynn told us after her first practice in the Pyramid that “Loyalty and trust” would take precedence over hiring somebody she didn’t know as an assistant.  Looking over the list of three assistants that have been hired, it seems she’s holding true to that.  New members of the 49er family are Derek Wynn, longtime assistant at USC and Pepperdine and Wynn’s spouse, Laura Freimuth, who is also coming over with Wynn from USC, and Jeffrey Cammon.

“I am very excited about this entire staff,” said Wynn. “We will work very well together and create a family atmosphere that will have an impact on our program and student-athletes.”

Derek Wynn comes to The Beach from USC, where he spent five years as an assistant. In each of his first two seasons, the Women of Troy advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Prior to his stint at USC, Wynn spent five years as an assistant at Pepperdine where he helped lead the Waves to five postseason appearances and three West Coast Conference titles.

Wynn earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Cal State Fullerton in 1996 and a master’s and teaching credential from Azusa Pacific in 1999. Wynn is married to head coach Jody Wynn and the couple has two daughters, Jada and Kaeli.

“Derek is a proven coach from both USC and Pepperdine, and has an extensive knowledge and background in defense, recruiting and the game of women’s basketball,” Wynn said.

Freimuth joins the Long Beach State staff after serving in several different capacities over a six-year span at USC. She was the Trojans’ director of basketball operations in 2008-09, and had previously worked as the team’s video coordinator and manager.

Freimuth graduated from USC with a bachelor’s degree in communications in 2005 and went on to earn her master’s in post-secondary administration and student affairs. Freimuth played two years of basketball at Fullerton College, serving as a team captain in 2002-03 and earning a scholar-athlete award in 2003.

“Laura and I have worked together for the past five years and she is a tireless and dedicated coach who brings great energy to 49er women’s basketball,” Wynn said.

Cammon re-enters the collegiate coaching ranks after spending the last two seasons as the head girls varsity basketball coach at Bishop Alemany High School, where he also taught history. Prior to that, Cammon had served as an assistant at Kentucky Wesleyan College, Chaffey Community College and Alcorn State University.

As a student-athlete, Cammon was a three-year starting point guard at Alcorn State, leading the Braves to three conference championships and an NCAA Tournament berth in 2001-02. Cammon received both his bachelor’s degree in political science (2003) and his master’s in physical education (2005) from Alcorn State.

“Jeff has a great working relationship with both players and administrators, and having played at the Division I level, he understands what it takes to be successful on and off the court,” said Wynn.

The university also announced that Michelle Erickson will also return for her second year as the director of basketball operations to round out the staff.

“Michelle has made my transition to The Beach so smooth,” said Wynn. “She has taken the initiative to help me in all aspects of the program and I am thrilled to have her as part of the staff.”

With reports by LBSU