Penn State Harrisburg’s longest-tenured coach, Ross Patrick is set to enter his 16th season as women’s basketball head coach in 2023-24.
During Patrick's tenure, the Lions have qualified for nine conference postseason tournaments, while Penn State Harrisburg players have combined to earn an NCAA Woman of the Year Top 30 Finalist honor, one national player of the year finalist plaudit, 15 all-conference accolades, and numerous academic honors. One of just two head coaches in the program's NCAA era (2007-present), he has coached a trio of 1,000 point scorers and surpassed the 150-win mark for his career in 2022.
Most recently, Patrick guided Penn State Harrisburg to the United East Championship Game for the first time in program history after the Lions qualified for the conference's postseason tournament for the third straight season in 2022-23. As a group, Patrick's squad ranked fourth in the nation in 3-pointers per game (9.7), while individually, Kendis Butler wrapped up the most-decorated career in program history. Butler became the program's all-time leading scorer (1,277 points) and was selected as an NCAA Woman of the Year Award Top 30 Finalist after being named a finalist for the Jostens Trophy awarded to the most outstanding NCAA Division III player of the year. Butler was also tabbed the United East Female Senior Athlete of the Year after being named the inaugural United East Women's Basketball Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Butler and teammate Jayla Galbreath earned City of Basketball Love (CoBL) All-Area Honorable Mention recognition after each were named to the United East All-Conference Second Team.
In 2021-22, Patrick led the Lions to the United East Championship Tournament for the second straight season. Under his guidance, Butler became the fastest player in program history to score 1,000 career points, while Anna Mahan became the seventh player in program history to grab 500 career rebounds. Butler became the first player in program history to earn City of Basketball Love All-Area recognition when she was named to the CoBL All-Area Second Team. She was also named to the United East All-Conference First Team for the second consecutive season, while Galbreath earned second-team all-conference honors. As a group, Patrick’s squad ranked second in the nation in 3-point field goals per game (10.6) and fifth in the country in total 3-point field goals made (266).
Before the 2020-21 season was cancelled due to COVID-19, Patrick led his group to a North Eastern Athletic Conference (now United East) Playoff Tournament berth in 2019-20. The Lions were victorious in their annual Pride-Spirit-Honor Tournament in November and the squad set the single-game program record for 3-pointers made in January. Butler had a record-breaking campaign that saw her set new marks for points in a season and points in a single game. For her efforts, she earned a spot on the NEAC All-Conference First Team. The Blue & White continued to rank among the nation’s best from beyond the arc, finishing top 10 in both total 3-pointers made and 3-pointers made per game.
During the 2018-19 campaign, Patrick led the Lions to a Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) playoff berth. Under his leadership, Shanique Mattis earned CAC All-Conference First-Team honors. With the implementation of his offensive principles, the team ranked second in the nation in 3-point attempts and finished sixth in the country in 3-pointers made.
The program earned its first victory over a top-10 nationally-ranked team when the Lions secured a road victory over No. 7 Mary Washington during the 2016-17 season. To open the 2015-16 campaign, the Blue & White won Ramapo’s Tip-Off Tournament Championship before Kiara Carter capped the year with a CAC Second-Team All-Conference selection.
In 2010-11, Patrick’s squad racked up 18 wins and advanced to the semifinal round of the NEAC Playoff Tournament. Daril Foose also became the first player in program history to earn first-team all-conference recognition. The 2011-12 season was an historic one, as Penn State Harrisburg won a program-record 19 games and went 17-1 in NEAC play. The Lions won the NEAC South Division Title, with Foose and Dorothea Dixon picking up second-team all-conference honors in the process. Dixon also became just the ninth player in NCAA history to record a quadruple-double when she tallied 12 assists, 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals in a win over Penn State Berks in December. Patrick led his team back to the NEAC Postseason Tournament after winning 18 games in 2012-13; a season that ended with Mercedes Copeland (2T) and Miranda Zeanchock (3T) securing all-conference honors.
The program has also been strong in the classroom during Patrick’s tenure, as Butler and Galbreath became the first players in program history to earn College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors in 2023, while 85 players have earned the distinction of being named conference scholar-athletes. In 2019, his squad ranked No. 17 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Rankings, while his teams also earned WBCA Academic Top 25 Special Mention recognition in both 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Before arriving at Penn State Harrisburg, Patrick spent eight seasons as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Elizabethtown under head coach Yvonne Kauffman, the third-most winningest NCAA Division III head coach of all-time. He played at and graduated from Lebanon Valley College with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration-Marketing in 1999 before earning his master’s degree in Sports Management from Millersville University in 2008.
In addition to his coaching duties, Patrick also serves as the equipment manager for Penn State Harrisburg’s athletic department. He currently resides in nearby Mount Joy, Pa. with his wife, Claudia, and his children, Riley and Cydney.