Northern Illinois University women’s basketball head coach Jacey Brooks announced on Friday that DeKalb native Brittney Patrick is joining her coaching staff as an assistant coach.
“I am thrilled to have Brittney join the Huskie family,” said Brooks. “The energy she exudes and her ability to relate to young women will allow her to make an immediate impact on our program. I’m excited to bring Brittney back home to an area she is familiar with and has recruiting ties to. She is a hard worker who will help us achieve our goals on the court, in the classroom, and within the community.”
Patrick comes to NIU after serving as an assistant coach at Murray State for the last two seasons. Last season the Racers won 25 games and won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament championships. Murray State had four all-conference selections as well as the Missouri Valley’s most improved player. The Racers won at least 20 games in each of Patrick’s two seasons on the bench.
“I’m thrilled to join the NIU women’s basketball staff,” Patrick said. “Having grown up in the area, this opportunity means so much to me. It’s an honor to be part of a program with deep roots in the community, and I’m excited to help build something special as we work to turn the program around.”
Patrick started her coaching career at Bolingbrook High School in 2020, coaching alongside her former AAU coach Chris Smith. Bolingbrook reached the IHSA Class 4A state semifinals and won the third place game that year. She then was a graduate assistant at Indiana from 2021-2023. The Hoosiers won 52 games in those two years, reaching the Sweet Sixteen in 2022 and earning a number one seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
A 2020 graduate of Southern Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, Patrick was a four-year letterwinner for the Salukis. She was named to the Missouri Valley All-Defensive Team as a senior in 2020 after being third in the league with 1.8 steals per game, fifth with 4.1 assists per game and sixth with a 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. Patrick finished her SIU career fifth in program history in assists with 377 and 10th with 143 steals.
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