Gainesville, FL

John Ritzdorf has officially added Melvin Freeny as an Assistant Coach to his 2025-2026 Staff. Freeny is a Gainesville native and alumnus of Buchholtz High School where he played basketball from 1991-1995. 

Freeny has spent the past seasons at PK Yonge coaching the boys JV team and served as a Varsity Assistant. 

"I'm thrilled to add Melvin to our staff." Head Coach John Ritzdorf adds. "Even more important than his impressive resume is his connection and pride in our community, and his desire to help mentor the young men in our program. Melvin is an outstanding addition to our team and I'm excited for all of us to have the chance to work him."

After graduating from Buchholtz High School, Freeny played four years at Siena College in Loudonville, New York. At Siena, Freeny started in 92 of 100 total games as he helped elevate the Saints' program and achieve the Mid Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship in 1999 while securing a bid to the NCAA Tournament that year. Freeny finished his career in the top 10 all time assists and steals lists for Siena. 

Freeny has 15 years of training and coaching experience at the youth, High School, and AAU level for both boys and girls. Freeny has coached a number of players over the years, many of them earning college scholarships at various levels such as Byron Smith, Jalen Speer and Pat Pinkins.

"Its an honor to be given this opportunity," Freeny mentions. "I look forward to contributing to the continued success of the program... I have a passion for teaching the game of basketball and enjoy helping players achieve their goals in the classroom, develop life skills, and improve their game on the court."