YATESVILLE – Patrick Mitchell knew from the start the interest of some local small college basketball recruiters was not going to work out.
When Mitchell settled his academic plans, it opened the door to play basketball in the future.
The Pittston Area senior has committed to a program which calls for him spending three years studying chemistry at King’s College, followed by two years of chemical engineering at the University of Notre Dame.
“The biggest thing was academics first,” Mitchell said during a signing ceremony at the Cefalo Fieldhouse. “Still, my Dad’s not totally sold on me playing sports in college.”
Once King’s was the choice over Lehigh and Penn State, Division III basketball became a possibility for the 6-foot-5 post player.
“I chose King’s first because I wanted to do the three at King’s, then the two at Notre Dame for engineering,” Mitchell said. “Then, it just so happened that I had the opportunity to play basketball, too.
“It was just the perfect fit.”
Mitchell said the program he is entering guarantees him a spot at Notre Dame as long as he maintains a 3.2 grade point average at King’s.
At Pittston Area, Mitchell was a key reserve as a sophomore, then started for the bulk of his junior and senior seasons. He was the team’s second-leading scorer as a senior.
Mitchell also spent four years on the track and field team where he developed into one of the program’s top throwers. He placed fifth in District 2 Class 3A in the shot put.
