Patrick On Cusp Of Milestone Moment
Bill Patrick says it’s never been about the numbers in his illustrious high school coaching career.
The Hall of Fame mentor, that being said, is on the cusp of a pretty magical milestone numerically.
The Tippecanoe Valley boys basketball coach with his next win will reach No. 700 for his long and storied time on the sidelines.
The Vikings get their first chance to give Patrick his 700th come Friday night versus Fairfield in their own Winning Edge Holiday Tournament. A victory versus the Falcons and Patrick would become just the fifth boys coach in state history to win 700 games. Jack Butcher holds the state record with 805.
“This is what I always wanted to do and 700 just means I’ve been doing it for a long time,” said Patrick in his normal, straight-to-the-point manner. “I enjoy it. That’s why I’m still doing it.”
“I’ve had a lot of good players over the years who were willing to work. And I’ve had good assistant coaches.”
“Winning is important and I want to win every game I coach, but it’s not the reason I do it. If you’re in coaching just to win, you shouldn’t be doing it. For me, it’s about developing young men as people and as basketball players. ”
Patrick has amassed a 699-275 career mark in this his 44th season. He spent his first 29 seasons coaching in the South Whitley school corporation, including the final 24 at Whitko High School. He resigned at Whitko in 1995 and was hired at Valley in 1998. He is in his 15th season at Valley, where he is 221-95. His impressive resume includes 15 sectional titles, three regionals and one semi state. He has also won 10 Three Rivers Conference championships while at Valley. Maybe the most impressive number of all is that Patrick had 39 consecutive winning seasons to start his coaching career.
The significance of Patrick’s next win is not lost on his current crop of players at Valley, where the Vikings are 6-1 thanks to a six-game winning streak.
“It gives me chills to think about it,” said senior Jacob Ritchey. “I know it will be special to him and to us when it happens. It’s awesome to play for him. He teaches us a lot of things about life, not just about basketball. He’s helped me mature as a person and I’m really grateful to get the chance to play for coach Patrick.”
Patrick, a 1954 Sidney High School graduate, got his first coaching win on Nov. 1, 1963 in a 83-61 victory over Leesburg while coaching Sidney. Milestone wins over the years have included wins number 100, 200, 300 and 400 while at Whitko and then numbers 500 and 600 while at Valley. His 600th win was a 67-44 defeat of Triton on Feb. 18, 2005.
“I haven’t stayed in coaching to try and win 700 games,” said Patrick, who retired from teaching in 2002. “I guaranteed Valley I’d be here three to five years when they hired me. Well, five has turned into 15 now. I just enjoy the game and the kids. The kids keep you young.”
Patrick and his wife Nancy have four children in sons Brett (a highly-respected high school basketball official) and Chad and daughters Teresa and Michelle, all of whom still live in Indiana. The Patricks have six grandchildren in Keaton, Kaleigh, Jordyn, Jamie, Emma and Landon.
Patrick, a hard-headed, old-school coach by his own admission, and best known for his feisty demeanor and toughness, does possess a soft side.
“My daughter (Emma) has him wrapped around her finger,” said Chad Patrick with a smile following a recent Valley practice session. “Anything that little girl wants she gets from my Dad.”
Chad, the younger of Patrick’s two sons, played for his dad at Whitko and has spent the better part of the last two decades as one of his assistant coaches.
“Basketball is our life,” said the younger Patrick, who will turn 41 Dec. 20. “It’s what we love and what we do. My Dad was miserable when he was out of coaching after resigning at Whitko. He was not the same guy. Coaching is his life. It’s basketball and his grandkids. He doesn’t have any hobbies.
“The thing people don’t know is that he would do anything for his players. He wants to make them better people. The gym is his classroom and it’s where he’s at his best. He’s all about teamwork and is a master at getting everyone to buy into that. He’s so prepared. That’s where he’s so good.
“We butted heads when I played and I got yelled at a lot. We still butt heads, but he always wins. But, he’s mellowed too. He’s had to. But, why would you quit when you love it like he does and you’re as successful as he is.
“I know 700 is special to him. It’s quite an achievement. I just wish he would take more credit for it.”
Patrick, who also won 310 games as a very successful prep baseball coach, admits times are different now. That being said, his Valley players are required to wear a shirt and tie to all games and every one of them is always well groomed.
“I don’t know if I’ve changed that much, but society has changed,” Patrick said of coaching in 2012. “It’s tougher now to get kids who want to work hard. I’ve had to adjust and do some things different. If I ran practice now like I did 20 years ago, I’m not sure how many kids we would have on the team.”
“I’m probably harder than most coaches to play for. I’m old-schooled and demanding. I demand discipline.”
Patrick’s players say his demanding style is a good thing.
“He’s definitely tough to play for, but it’s worth it in the end,” said standout guard Nick Kindig, one of just two seniors on the Valley roster this season. “He gets the best out of his players because he doesn’t tolerate anything but our best. He makes you mentally stronger and we’re always a better team at the end of the season because of him.”
Valley junior Tanner Andrews, a star on the football field and the hardwood for the Vikings, agrees with his teammate.
“He’s definitely hard-nosed, but that’s good,” Andrews said. “He makes you perform at your highest level and he gives me confidence to know I can excel against anyone. It’s definitely an honor to play for him. It’s going to be honor to be part of his 700th win. He deserves it. In my book, he’s the greatest coach there is. I admire him and look up to him a lot.”
Patrick, who survived a serious car crash about five years ago, says he has no plans to hang up the whistle any time soon. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and is one of the members of the Class of 2013 for the Kosciusko County Basketball Hall of Fame, the first coach to receive that honor.
“My health is good and I don’ take any medications at all,” said Patrick, who has lived on his 200-acre farm near Sidney since 1969. “When I get to the point where I don’t enjoy it, I’ll quit. I’ll know when it’s time and nothing yet has told me it’s time.
“It’s hard to walk away from something you’ve done this long and something you enjoy so much.
“Basketball has been good to me. Hopefully, I’ve given something back to the game.”
There’s no doubt you’ve done that coach.
When it does come, take a moment and enjoy No. 700.
You deserve it.