Deb Patterson

Deb Patterson
Sport(s)	Women's college basketball
Current position
Title	Head coach
Team	Kansas State Wildcats
Playing career
1975-79	Rockford College
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1982-86 1986-91 1991-92 1992-96 1997-98 1996-current	Hononegah H.S. Northern Illinois (Asst.) Southern Illinois (Asst.) Vanderbilt (Asst.) USA Basketball (Asst.) Kansas State
Head coaching record
Overall	339-207 (.621)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships Big 12 Regular Season Champions 2003, 2008
Awards Big 12 Coach of the Year 2002, 2008
Medal record Women’s Basketball Assistant Coach for  United States FIBA World Championship for Women Gold 1998 Berlin, Germany Team Competition Assistant Coach for  United States World University Games Gold 1997 Marsala, Sicily, Italy Team Competition

Deb Patterson is the current head women's basketball coach at Kansas State. She is the all-time winningest coach in school history. On December 20, 2008 she won her 250th career game.^[1]

A native of Rockford, Ill., Patterson graduated from Rockford West High School then attended Rockford College, where she was a member of the Rockford College Hall of Fame after playing field hockey from 1975-79. Although she never played basketball in college, she later went on to coach basketball.

In the 2005 season, she led the Wildcats to a WNIT championship win. Their 24-10 team marked the fifth consecutive 20 win season under coach Patterson. The 2004 team went 24-8 including 12-4 in the conference, and finished 16th in the nation, by the AP poll. Over the last five years her teams have gone 70-10 on their home court, despite off-court turmoil involving the emotional abuse of many players and assistant coaches as reported by the Kansas City Star in October 2008.

In 2008, Patterson led the Wildcats to a Big 12 Conference Regular season championship, after finishing in last place in 2007. Her worst to first accomplishment earned her the Big 12 coach of the year award. The Wildcats went on to lose their first game in the 2008 Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament against Iowa State, 66-65 in Overtime.

In the last five seasons the Wildcats have ranked in the Top 15 nationally in total attendance under her tenure. The Top ten crowds in school history have all occurred during her tenure. In the 2002 season, her team went 29-5, establishing school records for wins and winning perentage. At one point Kansas State was ranked 2nd in the nation, which was the highest ranking in school history. She also served as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt, and Southern Illinois.^[2]

USA Basketball

In 1997, Patterson was named an assistant coach of the USA representative to the World University Games, held in Marsala, Sicily, Italy. The USA team had not won gold in this biennial event since 1991. This year, the USA team would be dominant, with easy victories in all but one contest. After winning their first three contests by no fewer than 38 points, the USA team faced Russia. The game had five ties and 13 lead changes. Connecticut's Nykesha Sales led the scoring of the USA team with 17 points, hitting connective baskets in the second half to give the USA a lead it would not give up. The USA went on to win the game 78–70. The USA went on to win the two medal rounds games, with a 100–82 victory over Cuba to give the USA team the gold medal.^[3]

In 1998, Patterson was named an assistant coach of the USA National Team, under head coach Nell Fortner. The USA team competed in the World Championships held in three cities in Germany, including Berlin, Germany. The USA team won all six of the preliminary round games, with most game in double-digit margins. The one exception was the opening round game against Japan, which the USA team won 95–89. In the quarterfinals, the USA team beat Slovakia 89–62. In the semifinal match up against Brazil. the USA team was behind by ten points in the first half, but came back and won by 14 points. The championship game was a rematch against Russia, a team the USA had defeated by 36 points in the preliminary round. However, the gold medal game would unfold very differently. The USA team was behind most of the game, with a nine-point deficit at halftime. When there were under two minutes to play, the USA was still behind, but Ruthie Bolton hit a three-pointer to give the USA team a one-point lead. After the Russians tied the game, Bolton hit another three to give the USA team a lead they would not relinquish. The USA team won 71–65 to win the gold medal.^[4]

Head coaching record

Updated through the end of the 2012 regular season

References