Frederick Flying Cows Announce Dan Prete as New Head Coach

Veteran coach with 30+ years of experience brings championship pedigree and NBA player development to Frederick

FREDERICK, Md., Sept. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Frederick Flying Cows are proud to announce the hiring of Coach Dan Prete as the team's new head coach for the 2026 season. With more than 30 years of coaching and camp leadership experience — Coach Prete brings a championship pedigree and proven track record of developing elite athletes.

A Nike Elite Coach, Prete has held leadership roles at Bishop Walsh School (Cumberland, MD), Saint James School (Hagerstown, MD), and Montrose Christian (Rockville, MD), where he helped capture the 2011 ESPN NHSI National Championship as Associate Head Coach under coaching legend and former St. John's Prospect Hall coach (Frederick, MD), Stu Vetter.

Over his career, Coach Prete has coached and developed more than 50 Division I athletes, countless professional players and NBA standouts including Kevin Durant, Greivis Vasquez, Justin Anderson, Ishmail Wainright, Justin Robinson, Linas Kleiza, Michael Carrera, Grant Golden, and Olivier Nkamhoua.

In addition to his coaching acumen, Coach Prete is also an experienced camp and events operator - including international clinics such as a recent instructional trip to Brazil. He also serves as the Director and Founder of the Western Maryland Classic - a premier high school tournament sponsored by Nike, hosted at Deep Creek Lake, MD.

"With over 30 years of experience coaching basketball, I decided to take my career in another direction and coach at the professional level," said Prete. "My experience working with elite athletes has equipped me well for this challenge. Frederick has been home for my family for the past 15 years, and I am excited for the opportunity to coach the Flying Cows within my local community."

The Flying Cows have re-signed a core of their roster from last season to return for the 2026 season under Coach Prete - player re-signing announcements will begin next week.

Press Conference Details

The Flying Cows will formally introduce Coach Prete at a press conference on Wednesday, September 10 at 3:00 PM at Woodsboro Bank Arena at Hood College. Members of the media are invited to attend. Additional team announcements will also be made at this time. Please RSVP to General Manager Chris Jenkins at [email protected].

Player & Basketball Community Reactions

Flying Cows star point guard and Maryland native Ronald Scott, who competed against Coach Prete's teams during his high school career shared his excitement of the hire: "I am excited to see what Coach Dan brings to the Cows this season. He's proven himself with top players his whole career, and we can't wait to get to work to bring a Championship to Frederick."

"Coach Prete is an outstanding coach. He has worked with players at the highest level of basketball. At Montrose Christian we had several NBA players including Kevin Durant, Justin Anderson and Linas Kleiza. He is a great teacher and communicator and will be a great asset to the Flying Cows," said Legendary Coach Stu Vetter, one of the most accomplished figures in high school basketball, offering particularly meaningful words of praise.

Vetter's support carries special significance in Frederick, where he ran successful youth basketball camps and coached at St. John's Prospect Hall from 1992–1998. Vetter established the school as a powerhouse program by winning the USA Today National Championship in 1998 before departing for Montrose Christian, where Coach Prete joined his illustrious coaching tree.

Justin Robinson, former NBA, Virginia Tech Hokie, and current professional player Justin Robinson also shared his excitement: "I'd just like to send my congratulations to Coach Prete. I know he's the right hire and I am excited to see what he does with this opportunity; he has my full support." Justin played for Coach Prete at Montrose Christian and followed him to St. James School where he starred locally.

And Dr. Ray Kiddy, Head of School at Bishop Walsh, who recruited Coach Prete to help grow the school by bringing in a Coach to run a national basketball program added: "Dan is a great coach, recruiter, and leader of men. You can only expect big things for the Frederick Flying Cows with Coach Prete at the helm."

"Having someone of Coach Prete's caliber who also calls Frederick home is a perfect fit for the Flying Cows," said General Manager Chris Jenkins. "In an incredibly talented pool of candidates, he quickly stood out as the ideal hire. Coach understands this community and is committed to helping us continue to build something special."

Flying Cows Tryouts

Aspiring professional basketball players will have the opportunity to impress the new coaching staff at the Frederick Flying Cows Tryouts on Sunday, September 21 from 12:00–3:00 PM at Woodsboro Bank Arena at Hood College. This is a chance to showcase your skills in front of Coach Prete and potentially earn a contract or training camp invitation. Registration can be found at www.goflyingcows.com.

About The Frederick Flying Cows:
The Frederick Flying Cows are a professional basketball organization competing in The Basketball League (TBL). The regular season consists of 24 games (12 home and 12 away) from March through May, with playoffs in June. TBL offers a high level of play—just a notch below the NBA G League—and provides a competitive option for players building toward elite-level opportunities.

The Flying Cows completed their second season in June 2025. In back-to-back seasons, they've clinched divisional championships, recorded 20+ win seasons, and led the league in attendance. The Flying Cows have quickly become a standard of excellence within the TBL and a popular sports team in Frederick, MD.

SOURCE Frederick Flying Cows