Patrick Still At the Top Of His Game

AKRON - As Tippecanoe Valley head coach Bill Patrick approached his 600th win, there were those who insisted on over-thinking, over-intellectualizing, the meaning behind the man and the milestone.

For Patrick, it's simple. He likes to coach. He likes to win and he loves developing young men into basketball players.

No mysticism of Zen-like techniques for this ol' ball coach. Patrick has been old school since before old school was cool.

Nearly four decades ago, Patrick coached his first team at now-defunct Sidney High School.

He took over a team that had a losing record the season prior. Patrick turned that team into a group of winners.

When Patrick picked up his 600th win against Triton Friday, that Sidney team was on hand to congratulate their coach.

Their coach may have been nudged in, but once he got on the court, he won. When Patrick was initially asked to coach at Sidney, he hedged but eventually relented.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Thirty-six years after his first season as the Wildcats' head coach, Patrick has still not known what its like to experience a losing season as a varsity boys basketball coach.

Patrick spent 29 years at Whitko before leaving with some hard feelings due to a dispute over whether his son, Chad, was allowed to sit on the bench. After a few years away from the game, Patrick returned to Tippecanoe Valley and has been there for seven years.

With 601 wins, Patrick has the 10th most wins in state history. Jack Butcher of Loogootee won 806 games in his illustrious career, while Howard Sharpe (North Knox) who won 724, Bill Stearman (Columbus North) 714, Bill Harrell (Muncie Central) 660, Marion Crawley (Lafayette Jefferson) 644, Jim Jones (Terre Haute North) 639, Pat Rudy (Cloverdale) 634, Jim Miller (New Albany) 607 and Basil Mawbey (Cass) 608 round out the members of the 600-win club.

Through the fraternity of coaching, Patrick has met or coached against all nine coaches. Jones, Rady and Mawbey are still coaching.

Patrick became acquainted with Rady during the 1991 state championships. Rady's Terre Haute South team was in the other bracket of the final four in Patrick's lone state finals appearance.

That year Whitko ran into the buzz saw of Glenn Robinson and eventual state champion Gary Roosevelt 83-53 in the semifinal.

He's also talked to Butcher, the winningest coach in state history, several times. Butcher's mark of 806 wins is amazing, even to Patrick.

"That's almost unbelievable. In 36 years I've averaged 17 wins a season so to have won 800 games is incredible," said Patrick, who has coached in 810 career games.

Patrick set the foundation of his legacy at Whitko, winning 12 sectional titles, a regional and semistate crown. The much-heralded coach cemented it at Valley. In his seven years at Akron, the Vikings have won a sectional crown and their only regional title in school history in 2000.

But had it not been for one man, Patrick may not have reached his milestone at Valley.

"I probably would not have been here had it not been for Fred McSherry, who's on the school board at Valley. He asked me if I'd be interested in the job and I don't think I would have applied for it. I told him I wasn't really interested in going through a long process and that if he was really interested to call me back. He called me back a few days later and said, "We're interested," said Patrick.

And in that time, Patrick has taken pride in players like Cody New and Shane Denny. New was a troubled eighth-grader who turned into a star basketball player at Valley and went on to more success in college. Denny currently a senior standout for the Vikings, is another one of Patrick's success stories.

"Shane Denny goes from eighth-grade JV to senior year being a good solid basketball player. There's a lot of enjoyment watching a kid like that making that kind of improvement," said Patrick.

The coach's mark at Valley is evident by anyone you ask. Athletic Director Duane Burkhart, formerly the head coach of the girls basketball program, is amazed by Patrick's work ethic.

"His practices are very demanding and he really focuses on fundamentals and repetition; that translates into success," said Burkhart.

What also separates Patrick from most coaches is his ability to make adjustments during the game.

"He's probably the best coach I've seen in basketball when it comes to making in-game adjustments," said Burkhart.

Patrick also takes an interest in his players outside the game.

"Bill took a young man, who wanted a college scholarship and to play basketball, to an area college for an open gym. This young man was from Whitko and this was after coach Patrick had been out of coaching for a couple years. That's a telltale sign of what kind of person he is," said Burkhart.

Despite leaving Whitko in a way he hadn't planned and then ending up at Valley, Patrick has no regrets and is happy the way things played out.

"I'm glad I got back in because at least now when I get out there will be no regrets. I've enjoyed the game and didn't want to get out feeling bitter about it. I'm happy I made the decision," said Patrick.

So are the Viking faithful.

After Saturday's win over Southwood, Patrick is 601-209 all-time. The Manchester College graduate also has compiled 310 wins and eight conference championships as a baseball coach.