Sac State Athletic Director Mark Orr officially announced the hiring of David Patrick as the men’s basketball team’s next head coach Tuesday.

Patrick has over 17 years of collegiate and international coaching experience and was most recently a part of the Oklahoma staff. He will serve as the program’s 15th head coach.

“We are thrilled to welcome David to Sacramento State to lead our men’s basketball program,” Orr said in a statement released by Hornet Athletics. “David’s vision for our program and his values as a leader of student-athletes align perfectly with our University. I look forward to building a championship basketball program under his leadership. The future is very bright for Hornet basketball.”

Before serving as a lead assistant to Porter Moser on the Sooner staff, Patrick was assistant to head coach Eric Musselman for the University of Arkansas team that made a run to the Elite 8 in 2020. 

“I’m ecstatic to be named the new head men’s basketball coach at Sacramento State,” Patrick said in a statement.  “After my first conversation with Mark Orr, I could feel his passion and energy for the potential he envisions for Sacramento State basketball and his love for the city. I could see the alignment and vision President Nelsen has for Sacramento State athletics and the positive direction the university  is headed.”

Patrick said he sees a ton of potential in the program to be competitive and make an impact in the conference right away.

“This program has all the characteristics in place to compete for Big Sky Conference championships,” Patrick said. “I’ve been around winning at every stop of my coaching journey, and that is the DNA I will instill in this program.”

According to Patrick, one of his priorities is to support the educational well-being of student-athletes.

“My number one goal will be to ensure our young men leave Sacramento State with a degree in hand and they learn to be leaders in their homes and in the community,” Patrick said.

Through his coaching experiences, Patrick has developed countless connections with NBA personnel including

the likes of the Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody and Memphis grizzlies guard Desmond Bane – not to mention that he is also the godfather to NBA star Ben Simmons.

“I am so excited for Coach Patrick to take on the role as head coach at Sacramento State,” Simmons said in a statement. “He is one of the most underrated coaches and recruiters in the country. When I went through the recruiting process, there was never a doubt that I wanted to be coached by him. He is more than a coach, he is family. He cares deeply about his players, not only as it relates to basketball, but also life.”