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BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Boys basketball
The National High School Basketball Coaches Association has named former Tippecanoe Valley boys basketball coach Bill Patrick as one of its Indiana honorees for its John Wooden Legacy Coaching Award.
Patrick had a 764-318 record in 48 seasons as a high school basketball coach at Sidney, South Whitley, Whitko and Valley high schools. His record included 21 conference, 16 sectional, three regional and one semistate title.
Patrick won 288 games in 19 seasons at Valley from 1998-2017. That included 13 Three Rivers Conference titles and sectional titles in 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2013. Valley also won their only regional title in 2000 under Patrick.
Patrick then spent five seasons as an assistant coach under his son Chad at Valley.
Patrick was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and into the Kosciusko County Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Former Warren Central, Benton Central, Martinsville and Lafayette Jeff girls coach Jan Conner was also selected as a Wooden Award honoree.
Previous boys coaching honorees included Gene Miiller (2022), Jack Butcher (2023) and J.R. Holmes (2024).
“The award recognizes scholastic basketball coaches from around the nation who are educators and have achieved excellence on the floor, in the classroom and in the community that further embody the characteristics and legacy of the late John Wooden,” the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association said in a statement. “The criteria for the award are rooted in the ideals of education, longevity, character, service and excellence.”
The NHSBCA selected 46 honorees over 23 states in a program coordinated with the Wooden Family.
Patrick, 87, and his wife Nancy have been married for 65 years. They have four children, six grandchildren and one great grandchild.
