Jimmy Freehill ’21 Balances Coaching and the PLL

St. Sebastian’s alumnus Jimmy Freehill ’21 has returned to Greendale Avenue as a member of the Varsity Lacrosse coaching staff while also continuing his professional lacrosse career in the PLL. A defenseman for the Philadelphia Waterdogs, Jimmy recently reflected on coaching at Sebs, life in professional lacrosse, and the lessons he carries with him from his time as an Arrow.

Q: What has been the best part of coaching at St. Sebastian’s?

JF: Being back on campus every day, with all of my former teachers and coaches, and all the current students (some that I actually used to share the hallways with) has been a blast. I feel very involved again, which is something I certainly missed when I was living in Denver for four years. I am also just a very competitive person, and I really wanted to help Coach Silipo and St. Sebastian's lacrosse get to the next level, so being able to play a small part in that has been more fulfilling than I could have ever imagined. 

Q: How does the PLL schedule work, where you play professional lacrosse, but also have time to coach at Sebs? How many days a week are you with the PLL team?

JF: The PLL has an interesting schedule that basically runs from late April until the end of September. We typically fly out to wherever we are playing on Thursday or Friday morning, practice that night and the next, and then play a game on Saturday or Sunday, and then fly back to our respective homes. I am usually with the team for 2-3 days a week, which is why I have had the time to coach at Sebs. While I wish we could play professional lacrosse all year round full-time (and I think it is actually getting close to being there), I am also really glad I have been able to spend my offseason and even my off days in-season coaching the boys at Sebs.

Q: How do contracts work in the PLL? Are you year to year?

JF: When you are drafted as a rookie you sign a 3-year rookie contract with your team. After those 3 years are over, you become an unrestricted free agent. I am currently on year 2 of my 3-year contract.

Q: What trait, or characteristic, did you take from St. Sebastian's and apply it to your time at the University of Denver and then with the Philadelphia Waterdogs of the PLL?

JF: Two things come to mind for me here. Headmaster Burke always used to say, "I have never met a happy lazy person" and I think I really took that to heart. I don't think I've had the career I've had because of talent, but rather because I have worked really hard, and that is in large part due to the culture at St. Sebastian's. I think sometimes in high school settings, it is not always "cool" to work hard, but not at Sebs. My classmates/teammates and teachers/coaches always pushed me to put my best foot forward no matter what I was doing. The other thing that comes to mind comes from the school motto: "Love God, work hard, and take good care of one another." I would hope my teammates at Sebs, Denver, and now Philadelphia would say I take good care of them. Being a good teammate and leader is much more important to me than being a good lacrosse player, and that is another thing I learned from the many people I looked up to during my time at Sebs.

Q: Speaking of which, what is your favorite water dog?

JF: My labradoodle growing up was afraid of all bodies of water, but I did always used to want a Portuguese Water Dog, so I guess I'll go with that.

Q: Which would you say is more difficult, playing professional lacrosse or coaching high school kids?

JF: Great question. If I had to do all the work Coach Silipo has to do, I would say coaching high school kids, but luckily, I don't. Playing professional lacrosse is definitely tough and it always seems to humble you right when you feel like you're getting the hang of it. Coaching high school kids hasn't given me too many issues yet, probably because I was in their shoes not too long ago, and it doesn't hurt that they still speak that classic Sebs language we used to speak. Ultimately, I absolutely love doing both things, and find them to be really rewarding, so I am lucky to do both.

Q: How impressed are you with the talent level of our current St. Sebastian's lacrosse team?

JF: Extremely impressed. These kids are unbelievable. The talent at Sebs and all around the ISL has always been really good, but I felt like this year was the best I have seen yet (Besides that 2019 Sebs team of course. We weren't too shabby). Maybe even more impressive than the talent was the leadership of our captains. Tedy, Ty, David, George, and Brian were great. They were like another five coaches out there and certainly made our jobs a lot easier. Coach Silipo works really hard to make these kids better, and they are really lucky to have him, Coach Pohlman, Coach Leary, and Coach Nardella on their sideline.

Q: Is coaching lacrosse in your future?

JF: I certainly hope so. The sport has given me so much, that I'd love to keep giving back in any way possible. I love being around the game, especially when it can be on Frisoli Field at 1191 Greendale Ave coaching the Arrows.