Pete Herrmann spent eight seasons as the head coach of the Young Harris College men's basketball program. Pete was selected as the first coach in four decades for Young Harris, after the program was discontinued in 1969. Herrmann built the foundation during the 2010-11 season, as the Mountain Lions ended their first season in over 40 years with five wins.
In year two under Pete Herrmann's tutelage, the Young Harris basketball program was completely revived. The Mountain Lions finished with a 22-4 record, their last season as an independent program, before joining the Peach Belt Conference in 2012. Pete Herrmann was honored by the Georgia Basketball Coaches Association as their NCAA Division II Coach of the Year.
With the Mountain Lions just joining the Peach Belt Conference after being independent their first two seasons back in action, they were expected to struggle in their first season. Herrmann and YHC debunked that theory immediately, as they ended the 2012-13 season with a 17-9 record and finished second in the West division. During the 2013-14 season, Young Harris ended with the same record, 17-9 overall, once again finishing second in the West division.
In just four years, Pete Herrmann had already sparked a lasting legacy in the Enchanted Valley, but the success did not stop there. The Mountain Lions turned their attention to a larger goal, making the Peach Belt Conference tournament. The Mountain Lions made their debut in the Peach Belt Tournament during the 2014-15 season. With a record of 13-14, they pulled off an impressive upset over Georgia Regents University Augusta (now Augusta University) in the quarterfinals before being defeated in the semifinals. The 2015-16 season was similar for the Mountain Lions once more, as they had found sustained success as a program. Young Harris went 15-14 during the 2015-16 campaign and made its second consecutive trip to the PBC Tournament.
The Mountain Lions could see the summit; all that was left to do was reach it. During the 2016-17 season, Herrmann led the Mountain Lions to a Peach Belt Conference title as they tied for first place in the Western Division; Young Harris finished the year 17-11 overall. Pete would spend one more season with Young Harris after immense success as the leader of the Young Harris College revived men's basketball program. During his eight-year tenure, Herrmann had an overall record of 114-102, and rebuilding the men's basketball program at YHC was another accomplishment added to his illustrious career as a collegiate basketball coach. Did we mention that he coached NBA All-Star and Olympian David Robinson?
