These kids can play: Larose-Cut Off youth team having strong summer
June 26, 2012I’m tired of the debate … let’s rank the NBA players
June 26, 2012
LSU men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones is only a couple months into his return tenure with the Tigers.
It surely seems as though the coach is making the Tri-parish area a big part of his plans.
Just a few months after signing former Thibodaux High School standout forward Shavon Coleman, the first-year coach cherry picked an assistant coach with local roots, hiring former Nicholls State assistant coach David Patrick to round out his 2012-13 staff.
Patrick most recently was a scout for the NBA’s Houston Rockets.
“We are definitely excited about the addition of David Patrick to our staff,” Jones said. “He will not only be able to help us with game planning and practice preparation, but we look forward to him helping to raise our level of recruiting at LSU, both regionally as well as nationally.”
Patrick has the Tri-parish area in his resume.
The longtime assistant coach got his start in the college ranks in 2005-06 when he was a volunteer coach at Nicholls State for coach J.P. Piper.
After his one-season stint in Thibodaux, Patrick joined the coaching staff at Saint Mary’s, where he coached the university for three seasons.
During his time with the Gaels, Patrick coached current NBA standout Patty Mills, who helped lead the team to the NCAA Tournament.
After helping the Gaels program, Patrick was most recently a scout for the Houston Rockets, where he helped the team’s front office make player personnel decisions.
The Rockets are one of the most well-respected NBA organizations for their front office moves, having drafted Carl Landry, Aaron Brooks and Chandler Parsons all late in the NBA Draft.
Patrick may have deep collegiate roots inside of the collegiate game.
But the truth is the new Tigers assistant coach is well traveled in the world of basketball.
Born in Bermuda, Patrick grew up in Australia as a child after his family moved down under.
In 1994, after playing for the Australian Junior National Team, Patrick came to the United States.
He enrolled at Chapel Trafton High School in Baton Rouge, where he played for Piper, who was still at the prep level at that time.
As a player with Chapel Trafton, Patrick showed his basketball prowess, leading the team to the LHSAA State Quarterfinals.
After high school, Patrick took his playing career to Syracuse, where he was a member of the Orange’s 1996 NCAA Final Four team.
Completing one season with the New York-based school, Patrick transferred to UL-Lafayette, where he played for three seasons and was a standout player. Following his college playing career, Patrick returned to his native Australia and played for the Camberra Cannons of the National Basketball League from 1999-2001.
In his first season with the team, he was named the league’s Rookie of the Year.
Following his stint in Australia, Patrick played for the Chester Jets of England’s British Basketball League.
Patrick’s final professional season was in Spain, where he played for Alcora of the LEB1 league in 2002-03.
With LSU, Patrick is expected to boost the Tigers’ recruiting efforts across the country and worldwide.
“With his background in both Division I and professional basketball, he brings a level of experience to our program that will help us to move forward,” Jones said.
