University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Women's Basketball
Patterson, Deb
Deb Patterson
- Title:
- Assistant Women's Basketball Coach
- Email:
- deb.patterson@unco.edu
- Phone:
- 970.351.4389
Deb Patterson joined her former associate head coach at Kansas State, Kamie Ethridge, at Northern Colorado in the 2014-15 season.
Since joining the staff at UNC, Patterson served as an assistant coach for one season before moving over to her current role of Director of Basketball Operations in 2015-16. Patterson is the backbone of the program organizing the team's daily schedule along with travel and other business operations.
In 2019, she earned the Bob Heiny Bear Pride award, given to the UNC Athletic Department's employee of the year.
She spent the previous 18 years before joining the UNC staff (1996-2014) as head coach at Kansas State while totaling a 350-226 record, nine 20-win seasons, nine NCAA postseason appearances, four WNIT appearances and two Big 12 Championship titles. The Wildcats advanced to six Sweet Sixteen appearances while also winning the WNIT Championship title in 2006.
For her service and excellence at KSU, Patterson has received numerous honors and awards on the league, regional and national levels. Some of the organizations which have recognized Patterson for her outstanding coaching efforts include: the Russell Athletic/WBCA Region V Coach of the Year (2002, 2003 and 2008), Big 12 Coach of the Year (2002 and 2008), ESPN the Magazine Coach of the Year (2001-02), Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Women's Basketball College Coach of the Year (1997, 2002 and 2008), Kansas City Star Big 12 Coach of the Year (2008), Dallas Morning News Big 12 Coach of the Year (2002 and 2008), the San Antonio Express News Big 12 Coach of the Year (2002), the Austin American-Statesman Big 12 Coach of the Year (2002) and the Waco Tribune Big 12 Coach of the Year (2008).
She has also been a finalist for the WBCA National Coach of the Year honor (2002, 2003 and 2008), a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year (2002) and finished third in the voting for the Associated Press National Coach of the Year Award (2008).
The Wildcat program had not posted a winning record in Big Eight Conference play for five consecutive years prior to her arrival. In her first year at Kansas State, she guided the Wildcats to the school's first NCAA Tournament bid in 10 years and to the championship game of the Big 12 Tournament.
Patterson has mentored numerous players to national recognition and success. She has seen 40 of her student-athletes earn All-Big 12 honors including 17 first team citations, three Big 12 Player of the Year Awards and one Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
In addition to outstanding play on the court, Patterson's teams also have a sterling reputation in the classroom. Since the inception of the Big 12 in the 1996-97 season, the Wildcats have placed a league-high 105 student-athletes on the Academic All-Big 12 first and second teams. Patterson also helped K-State to five Academic All-America selections, five Lowe's Senior CLASS Award finalists including one national winner, 18 CoSIDA Academic All-District VII honorees and five appearances in the WBCA Academic Top-25 Team Honor Roll (1998, 1999, 2003, 2008 and 2009).
Patterson's coaching excellence has also been proven on the international level. She served as an assistant coach for three gold-medal winning USA Basketball teams, including the 2000 Junior World Championship Qualifying Team, the 1998 World Championship Team and the 1997 World University Games Team. In the summer of 2000 as an assistant coach, Patterson joined head coach Geno Auriemma (University of Connecticut) and assistant Ed Baldwin in guiding the 2000 USA Basketball Women's Junior World Championship Qualifying Team to a 5-0 record and a gold medal.
Before joining Kansas State in 1996, Patterson recorded eight consecutive 20-win seasons as an assistant coach with Vanderbilt, Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois from 1988-1996. She spent four seasons with the Commodores (1992-96), one season with the Salukis (1991-92) and four seasons with the Huskies (1988-91).
Patterson began her coaching career in 1983 as the head basketball coach at Rockton Hononegah (Ill.) High School, where she rebuilt a program with an 0-22 record before her arrival to a 21-2 mark in just four years. She was named the Illinois High School Association Coach of the Year in 1985 and back-to-back conference coach of the year in 1985 and 1986. In 1986-87, she accepted her first job on the collegiate level as a part-time assistant coach at Northern Illinois.
A native of Rockford, Ill., Patterson graduated from Rockford College, where she was a two-time student-athlete of the year and a President's Scholar in 1979. She is a member of the Rockford College Hall of Fame after starring in basketball and field hockey from 1975-79.
Patterson's Trophy Case
• 2008 and 2002 Big 12 Coach of the Year
• 2008 and 2004 Big 12 Conference Champions
• 2008, 2003 and 2002 WBCA District V Coach of the Year
• 2008, 2003 and 2002 WBCA National Coach of the Year Finalist
• 2008 Associated Press National Coach of the Year Finalist
• 2005, 2003 and 2002 Naismith National Coach of the Year Finalist
• 2008 Kansas City Star Big 12 Coach of the Year
• 2008 Waco Tribune Big 12 Coach of the Year
• 2008 and 2002 Dallas Morning News Big 12 Coach of the Year
• 2002 Austin American-Statesman Big 12 Coach of the Year
• 2002 San Antonio Express News Big 12 Coach of the Year
• 2001-02 ESPN the Magazine Coach of the Year
• 2005-06 WNIT Champions
• 2006-07 WNIT Final Four
• 2002-03 Preseason WNIT Champions
• USA Basketball 2000 Junior World Championship Qualifying Team (Gold Medal)
• USA Basketball 1998 FIBA World Championships (Gold Medal)
• USA?Basketball 1997 World University Games (Gold Medal)
• 2008, 2002 and 1997 KBCA Women's College Basketball Coach of the Year
• Received the Kay Yow Heart of a Coach Award in 2012
• Named to FCA Hall of Champions in 2011
• Inducted into the FCA Coaches Hall of Fame in 2008
Patterson by the Numbers
• 339 wins at K-State
• 7 former players reached the WNBA
• 10 Associated Press All-America selections
• 5 Academic All-America selections
• 5 Senior CLASS Award finalists, including a national award winner
• 2 Big 12 Player of the Year honorees
• 41 All-Big 12 recipients, including 17 first team honorees
• 105 Academic All-Big 12 selections, including 81 first team recipients
Since joining the staff at UNC, Patterson served as an assistant coach for one season before moving over to her current role of Director of Basketball Operations in 2015-16. Patterson is the backbone of the program organizing the team's daily schedule along with travel and other business operations.
In 2019, she earned the Bob Heiny Bear Pride award, given to the UNC Athletic Department's employee of the year.
She spent the previous 18 years before joining the UNC staff (1996-2014) as head coach at Kansas State while totaling a 350-226 record, nine 20-win seasons, nine NCAA postseason appearances, four WNIT appearances and two Big 12 Championship titles. The Wildcats advanced to six Sweet Sixteen appearances while also winning the WNIT Championship title in 2006.
For her service and excellence at KSU, Patterson has received numerous honors and awards on the league, regional and national levels. Some of the organizations which have recognized Patterson for her outstanding coaching efforts include: the Russell Athletic/WBCA Region V Coach of the Year (2002, 2003 and 2008), Big 12 Coach of the Year (2002 and 2008), ESPN the Magazine Coach of the Year (2001-02), Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Women's Basketball College Coach of the Year (1997, 2002 and 2008), Kansas City Star Big 12 Coach of the Year (2008), Dallas Morning News Big 12 Coach of the Year (2002 and 2008), the San Antonio Express News Big 12 Coach of the Year (2002), the Austin American-Statesman Big 12 Coach of the Year (2002) and the Waco Tribune Big 12 Coach of the Year (2008).
She has also been a finalist for the WBCA National Coach of the Year honor (2002, 2003 and 2008), a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year (2002) and finished third in the voting for the Associated Press National Coach of the Year Award (2008).
The Wildcat program had not posted a winning record in Big Eight Conference play for five consecutive years prior to her arrival. In her first year at Kansas State, she guided the Wildcats to the school's first NCAA Tournament bid in 10 years and to the championship game of the Big 12 Tournament.
Patterson has mentored numerous players to national recognition and success. She has seen 40 of her student-athletes earn All-Big 12 honors including 17 first team citations, three Big 12 Player of the Year Awards and one Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
In addition to outstanding play on the court, Patterson's teams also have a sterling reputation in the classroom. Since the inception of the Big 12 in the 1996-97 season, the Wildcats have placed a league-high 105 student-athletes on the Academic All-Big 12 first and second teams. Patterson also helped K-State to five Academic All-America selections, five Lowe's Senior CLASS Award finalists including one national winner, 18 CoSIDA Academic All-District VII honorees and five appearances in the WBCA Academic Top-25 Team Honor Roll (1998, 1999, 2003, 2008 and 2009).
Patterson's coaching excellence has also been proven on the international level. She served as an assistant coach for three gold-medal winning USA Basketball teams, including the 2000 Junior World Championship Qualifying Team, the 1998 World Championship Team and the 1997 World University Games Team. In the summer of 2000 as an assistant coach, Patterson joined head coach Geno Auriemma (University of Connecticut) and assistant Ed Baldwin in guiding the 2000 USA Basketball Women's Junior World Championship Qualifying Team to a 5-0 record and a gold medal.
Before joining Kansas State in 1996, Patterson recorded eight consecutive 20-win seasons as an assistant coach with Vanderbilt, Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois from 1988-1996. She spent four seasons with the Commodores (1992-96), one season with the Salukis (1991-92) and four seasons with the Huskies (1988-91).
Patterson began her coaching career in 1983 as the head basketball coach at Rockton Hononegah (Ill.) High School, where she rebuilt a program with an 0-22 record before her arrival to a 21-2 mark in just four years. She was named the Illinois High School Association Coach of the Year in 1985 and back-to-back conference coach of the year in 1985 and 1986. In 1986-87, she accepted her first job on the collegiate level as a part-time assistant coach at Northern Illinois.
A native of Rockford, Ill., Patterson graduated from Rockford College, where she was a two-time student-athlete of the year and a President's Scholar in 1979. She is a member of the Rockford College Hall of Fame after starring in basketball and field hockey from 1975-79.
Patterson's Trophy Case
• 2008 and 2002 Big 12 Coach of the Year
• 2008 and 2004 Big 12 Conference Champions
• 2008, 2003 and 2002 WBCA District V Coach of the Year
• 2008, 2003 and 2002 WBCA National Coach of the Year Finalist
• 2008 Associated Press National Coach of the Year Finalist
• 2005, 2003 and 2002 Naismith National Coach of the Year Finalist
• 2008 Kansas City Star Big 12 Coach of the Year
• 2008 Waco Tribune Big 12 Coach of the Year
• 2008 and 2002 Dallas Morning News Big 12 Coach of the Year
• 2002 Austin American-Statesman Big 12 Coach of the Year
• 2002 San Antonio Express News Big 12 Coach of the Year
• 2001-02 ESPN the Magazine Coach of the Year
• 2005-06 WNIT Champions
• 2006-07 WNIT Final Four
• 2002-03 Preseason WNIT Champions
• USA Basketball 2000 Junior World Championship Qualifying Team (Gold Medal)
• USA Basketball 1998 FIBA World Championships (Gold Medal)
• USA?Basketball 1997 World University Games (Gold Medal)
• 2008, 2002 and 1997 KBCA Women's College Basketball Coach of the Year
• Received the Kay Yow Heart of a Coach Award in 2012
• Named to FCA Hall of Champions in 2011
• Inducted into the FCA Coaches Hall of Fame in 2008
Patterson by the Numbers
• 339 wins at K-State
• 7 former players reached the WNBA
• 10 Associated Press All-America selections
• 5 Academic All-America selections
• 5 Senior CLASS Award finalists, including a national award winner
• 2 Big 12 Player of the Year honorees
• 41 All-Big 12 recipients, including 17 first team honorees
• 105 Academic All-Big 12 selections, including 81 first team recipients
Women's Walk Recap 2025
Wednesday, July 30
Head Coach Mattio, Neenah George, and London Gamble Post Game Press Conference vs Weber State
Wednesday, May 21
Coach Mattio, Silvia Nativi, and Gabi Fields Post Game Press Conference vs Northern Arizona
Wednesday, May 21
Coach Mattio, London Gamble, and April Rummery-Lamb Post Game Press Conference vs Portland State
Wednesday, May 21
