Coach David Patrick: UL Athlete 1997-2000

A Division I assistant coach at perennial winners LSU and Texas Christian University with a stellar recruiting record has been named the next men's basketball head coach at University of California, Riverside.

David Patrick is credited with recruiting future No. 1 NBA draft pick Ben Simmons to LSU, and has also coached current NBA stars Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova.

"He knows Division I business," UCR Athletic Director Tamica Smith-Jones said. "David can relate to the game both from an amateur and a professional perspective. He has a long history of success, and he will bring to UCR men's basketball the winning attitude that can take us to the top of the Big West Conference."

Jones said Patrick is in sync with two primary objectives she has established for the athletics program: that athletes should be students first, and that coaches should be well integrated into the community and the national landscape.

"I am extremely humbled, honored, and privileged to be named the head coach at UC Riverside," Patrick said. "I cannot wait to get to Riverside to start developing our student-athletes on and off the court and for our program to be competing for Big West championships in short order."

"I've worked my entire life to lead young men and to become a head coach. It's a surreal feeling to have this come to fruition and especially at an institution like UC Riverside."

Patrick was born in Bermuda and grew up in Australia. He played one season at Syracuse, with his team reaching the 1996 NCAA championship game, and then was a point guard at Louisiana-Lafayette from 1997-2000. He played four years professionally in Australia, England and Spain, was an assistant coach at Nicholls State for one year and St. Mary's College for four years, and then was a scout with the NBA's Houston Rockets.

He was hired by LSU in 2012, and in his time there helped LSU to register the nation's fifth- and third-ranked recruiting classes, in 2013 and 2015. Patrick is in his second year at TCU. In his first season, the team won the 2017 NIT Postseason Championship, the first in the school's history. TCU will compete in the 2018 NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years, playing the winner of the Syracuse and Arizona State game on Thursday night.

"To hire someone of David Patrick's coaching pedigree frankly exceeds all of our expectations," UCR Chancellor Kim Wilcox said. "David is going to bring an entirely new level of engagement with the Riverside community."

The Highlanders released former men's basketball coach Dennis Cutts from his contract on Dec. 30. Head assistant coach and UCR alumnus Justin Bell became the interim head coach after Cutts' departure. UCR finished 4-12 in conference play, winning four of its last eight. The team was eliminated from the Big West tournament by UC Davis on March 8.

"The ultimate compliment I can pay DP is he's the kind of coach that I want my son to play for one day," said Tony Bennett, head coach of the University of Virginia men's basketball team, who said he's known

Patrick for 20 years. "He has such a bright mind for the game and his recruiting prowess speaks for itself. What a great day to be a Highlander."

ESPN writer and commentator Jeff Goodman said: "David Patrick is, in my opinion, a home run hire for UC Riverside. He's a guy who has tremendous relationships in the industry, connects with players—and will be able to utilize his overseas connections to bring in kids that Riverside wouldn't normally be able to get."

Jones said being able to conduct a search prior to the end of the season provided an advantage in access to top coaching prospects. "This got us in front of every job that will be open in a week or two," Jones said.

"A perk being at a campus like UC Riverside is I get to recruit the best coaches who will attract and retain the best and brightest scholar athletes, who care just as much about their classwork as they do what happens on the court," Jones said. "With Coach Patrick, we are very fortunate to get a rising star whose values, connections and commitment to our program will make an immediate impact, positively change the narrative of UCR basketball for many years to come and make Highlander nation proud."

Patrick is expected to officially join the team April 1, and a public introduction in Riverside is being planned. Patrick is married to wife Cassie, and has two daughters, Bailee and Madison.

gohighlanders.com

David Patrick, a finalist for two National Coach of the Year Awards as head coach at UC Riverside, was named associate head coach for men’s basketball at the University of Arkansas on July 1, 2020.

In addition to his duties at Arkansas, Patrick serves as an assistant coach for the Australian men’s basketball team, and he will be coaching the Boomers at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

A Melbourne, Australia native, Patrick helped lead the national team to a fourth-place finish in the 2019 FIBA World Championships.

Patrick coached NBA champions and Australian National Team guards Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova during their collegiate careers at Saint Mary’s College (Calif.)

Patrick’s reputation as a savvy and experienced recruiter is attributed to his ability to attract top talent. At LSU, he was integral in landing the nation’s number five and number three-ranked recruiting classes of 2013 and 2015, respectively.
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Patrick is no stranger to Razorback head coach Eric Musselman as the two previously worked together at LSU, helping the Tigers reach the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Also at LSU, Patrick was responsible for the recruitment of 2016 number one overall NBA Draft pick Ben Simmons.

Their strong bond and coaching philosophy became evident in Patrick’s first year at Arkansas (2020-21) as the Razorbacks experienced its most success since reaching the NCAA title game in back-to-back years in the mid-1990’s.
Arkansas posted a 25-7 record and finished second in the SEC thanks to winning 12-straight games versus league opponents. The Razorbacks earned a #3 seed to the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Elite 8 for the first time since 1995. Arkansas was ranked among the top 10 in the final polls, including sixth by the coaches, for the first time since 1995 as well. The Hogs ranked 11th in the NCAA in scoring offense (81.4 ppg) and led the SEC in scoring margin (+10.6).
Patrick came to Arkansas after two seasons as head coach at UC Riverside. For his effort in 2019-20, Patrick was a finalist for two national awards – the Hugh Durham Coach of the Year, given annually to the most outstanding Division I mid-major men’s college basketball head coach, and the Ben Jobe Coach of the Year, presented annually to the top Division I minority coach. Also, prior to the season being cut short due to COVID-19, the Highlanders received invitations to play in the College Insider Tournament (CIT) and the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) postseason tournaments.
Patrick posted a 27-38 record at UC Riverside, the best two-year start in school history. He inherited a program that won just nine games the season prior to his arrival and quickly turned the program around. The Highlanders won 17 games last season, which tied the most wins in Division I program history. The Highlanders led the Big West Conference and ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense (60.6 ppg). The squad additionally led the Big West in 3-point field goal attempts (722) while ranking second in the league in defensive rebounding (27.03 avg.), field goal percentage defense (.404), rebound margin (+5.5), 3-point field goals made (7.9 per game/254 total) and total rebounds (35.78 per game/1,145 total).
In his first season at UC Riverside, the Highlanders broke several program records including 279 3-point shots made, culminating in a Big West-best .379 3-point shooting percentage (ranked 28th nationally).
Prior to his time at UC Riverside, Patrick made an immediate impact in his two seasons as assistant head coach at TCU, playing a significant role in the second-largest turnaround in program history. The 2016-17 Horned Frogs went 24-15, good for a 12-game improvement over the previous year. The final win of the season came in the championship game of the NIT (National Invitation Tournament), an 88-56 victory over Georgia Tech that gave TCU its first ever postseason championship. The 24 wins were also the second-most in school history. The following season (2017-18), TCU went 21-12 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years, earning a number six seed.
Patrick spent four years at LSU, the final two as assistant head coach, helping the Tigers reach the 2014 NIT and 2015 NCAA Tournament. He served as a scout for the Houston Rockets for two seasons (2010-12) and as an assistant coach for four years at Saint Mary’s (2006-10). During his tenure in Moraga, the Gaels had school record-setting seasons in 2008 and 2010. Both teams finished with 28-win seasons and the 2010 squad made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. He began his coaching career at Nicholls State (2005-06).
Patrick was born in Bermuda and grew up in Australia. He played one season at Syracuse, with his team reaching the 1996 NCAA Championship game, and then was a point guard at UL Lafayette from 1997-2000. He also played four years professionally in Australia, England and Spain.
Following a stint playing with the Australian Junior National Team, Patrick came to the United States in 1994. As a high schooler, he was selected as the Louisiana Player of the Year after leading Trafton Academy to the state quarterfinals. That same year, he was named the district’s MVP, earned a First Team All-Parish selection, and was chosen to participate in the Louisiana State High School All-Star Game.
Patrick is married to the former Cassie Frank of Oberlin, La., and they have two daughters.
THE PATRICK FILE
Personal
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
High School: Chapel Trafton (Baton Rouge, La.)
Alma Mater: UL Lafayette (2000)
Playing Experience
1995-96: Syracuse – reached 1996 NCAA Final Four (national runner-up)
1996-2000: UL Lafayette (then known as Southwestern Louisiana) – sat out the 1996-97 season per NCAA transfer rules; reached the 2000 NCAA Tournament
2000-01: Canberra Cannons (Australia’s National Basketball League)
2001-03: Chester Jets (British Basketball League)
2003-05: Amics del Bàsquet Castelló (Spanish Basketball Federation)
Coaching Experience
2005-06: Nicholls State (Assistant Coach)
2006-10: Saint Mary’s (Calif.) (Assistant Coach) – 2008 & 2010 NCAA Tournaments (2010 Sweet 16); 2009 NIT
2010-12: Houston Rockets (Personnel Scout)
2012-14: LSU (Assistant Coach) – 2014 NIT
2014-16: LSU (Assistant Head Coach) – 2015 NCAA Tournament
2016-18: TCU (Assistant Head Coach) – 2018 NCAA Tournament; 2017 NIT Champion
2018-20: UC Riverside (Head Coach) – 2020 Finalist for two national Coach of the Year awards
2019-Present: Australian National Team (Assistant Coach)
2020-Present: Arkansas (Associate Head Coach) – 2021 NCAA Elite 8

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Arkansas Razorbacks

Porter Moser continues to make moves to beef up the new-look Oklahoma basketball program, and his most recent addition is highly regarded assistant David Patrick.

Full Story
247Sports.com

Is this UL's next coach?

CongratULations, David Patrick.

Glad to see a former UL player having a measure of success.