NORFOLK, Va. -- Old Dominion women’s basketball assistant coach, Trina Patterson, has been named the head coach of the UNCG Spartans, as announced by the UNCG Athletic Director Kim Record on Sunday afternoon.
“I personally want to thank Coach Patterson for all of her hard work and the many contributions she has made to the ODU women’s basketball program during the past three years,” said head coach Karen Barefoot. “UNCG is getting, not only a great coach, but an even better person and she will be missed here at Old Dominion. I, my entire staff and the players wish nothing but the best for her and her family.”
Patterson was with the Lady Monarchs for three seasons as an assistant coach under Barefoot and became the second assistant during Barefoot’s time at ODU to become a head coach at the collegiate level. Tom McConnell was the first, as he took over the head coaching job at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in 2013. Barefoot's coaching tree has expanded during her 18 years as a head coach, as she has seen four of her assistants become head coaches, one become an associate head coach at Michigan State and one move on to become the athletic director at The Achievable Dream Academy in Newport News.
This past season, Patterson played a crucial role in the team advancing to the Conference USA Tournament title game for the first time since joining the league. Her time spent coaching the post players was paramount to the Lady Monarchs finishing the season ranked first in the league in rebounding margin (+6.7), while ranking second in defensive rebounds (25.6) and defensive rebounding percentage (.691).
In her second year, Patterson helped the Lady Monarchs post a 21-13 overall record, which is the most wins during the Barefoot era at Old Dominion. ODU went a perfect 4-0 against in-state competition, taking down the likes of UVA, Virginia Tech, VCU and William & Mary. The Lady Monarchs advanced to their conference semi-finals for the first time since the 2009-10 season and went back to the WNIT, where the team advanced to the second round for the second consecutive year.
In her first season with the Lady Monarchs, Patterson helped lead the squad to an 18-16 overall record as well as an appearance in the WNIT. The team reached the quarterfinals of the C-USA tournament in its first season in the conference and accumulated a 9-7 record in C-USA action. Patterson played a crucial role in junior Shae Kelley’s success as well, as she became an All-C-USA First Team selection.
Prior to Old Dominion, Patterson was an assistant coach at Stanford and was also a former head women's basketball coach at the College of William and Mary, Albany and Maryland Eastern Shore.
“I want to thank Coach Barefoot for an incredible three years as assistant women’s basketball coach at ODU,” said Patterson. “Coach Barefoot is a great leader and I have enjoyed being a part of her staff, which has helped me obtain great basketball, academic and player development experience. I would also like to thank President John Broderick, Dr. Wood Selig, athletic staff, players, boosters and fans for their support. I am excited about my new position as head coach at UNCG.”
As a player, Patterson earned four varsity letters and was a member of four consecutive NCAA Tournament teams under head coach Debbie Ryan at Virginia from 1983-87. During her four years in Charlottesville, the Cavaliers went 95-23, winning 20-plus games each season and capturing three Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season titles. As a team captain during her senior season (1986-87), Patterson helped Virginia post a 26-5 record and reach the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
Patterson earned a bachelor's degree in rhetoric and communication studies from the University of Virginia in 1987. She completed a master's degree in human resource management from National University in 2002.
Be sure to follow ODU Women’s Basketball at @ODUWBB on Twitter and ‘Like’ the ODU Lady Monarch Basketball page by clicking HERE to stay up to date with the latest news and coverage.