NCAA Basketball: Top 10 impact head coaching hires from the year 2004

By Joey Loose | Jun 3, 2021

CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 09: Head coach Lon Kruger of the Oklahoma Sooners signals to his players in the first half during a college basketball game against the Xavier Musketeers on December 9, 2020 at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

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NCAA Basketball Jimmy Patsos of the Loyola Greyhounds (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

10. Jimmy Patsos (Loyola Maryland)

There wasn’t much to celebrate in Loyola’s basketball history come 2004, even if the Greyhounds had employed a number of solid coaches. Recent coaches Skip Prosser, Brian Ellerbe, and Dino Gaudio would all land power conference jobs, but the Greyhounds only had one NCAA Tournament in their history. In fact, they had only won 16 total games in the last four seasons combined, meaning it was time for new blood to run the program.

Jimmy Patsos hadn’t had any head coaching experience on his resume at that point but was still a very solid candidate to take over the program. He was very familiar with the basketball world around Maryland and DC, having spent time at the high school level before a 13-year stint on Gary Williams’ staff with the Terrapins, serving as one of his trusted assistants.

Patsos got this Loyola program back in fighting shape, rising as high as 3rd place in the MAAC by his third season. He led the Greyhounds back to the NCAA Tournament in 2012 and led them into the CIT the following season, his ninth and final year with the program. He departed for fellow conference rival Siena, where things went not as well, but certainly won a fair amount of games in his tenure with Loyola.

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