TEMPE - Sun Devil Men’s Basketball Head Coach Randy Bennett announced another addition to his coaching staff on Wednesday.
David Patrick will be joining the program as an Associate Head Coach, as Bennett adds yet another highly-respected and experienced leader to his coaching staff.
“I am excited to announce David Patrick as one of our associate head coaches,” Coach Bennett remarked. “With our previous time working together, I have developed a lot of trust in David. He brings great experience, builds strong relationships, and has tremendous energy that will be extremely beneficial to the program.”
Patrick joins Rick Croy and Joe Rahon, who were revealed as Associate Head Coaches by Bennett earlier in the offseason. All three have previously worked with Coach Bennett, providing valuable continuity during a transitional phase of the program.
“My family and I are extremely excited to reunite with Randy Bennett,” Patrick reflected. “Coach Bennett has had a significant impact on my journey, and I have great respect for the way he builds programs—with discipline, toughness, and a clear identity. What excites me most is the alignment across the entire staff and our shared vision for what this program can become. Arizona State has everything in place to compete at the highest level in the Big 12 Conference and I’m eager to get to work alongside this group as we pursue Big 12 championships and build something special.”
David Patrick - Associate Head Coach
David Patrick is joining the program as an Associate Head Coach after spending the past two seasons in the same role at LSU. Silver Waves Media named him one of their Top-100 Most Impactful High Major Assistants of 2026. Patrick has over 20 years of coaching experience at the Division I collegiate, Olympic, and FIBA levels. The Australian has extensive domestic and International connections that make him one of the most successful recruiters in the new era of college basketball.
Patrick has recruited 11 players who have played in the NBA (including seven draft picks – four first-rounders) and has coached 28 players who have gone on to play professionally, including 19 in the NBA. During his two-year stint in Baton Rouge, Patrick was involved in on-floor coaching, scouting opponents, and recruiting. The final transfer class he helped put together ranked No. 16, and the overall class was in the Top-25 nationally, according to 247 Sports. It was Patrick’s second stint with LSU, originally serving on the Tigers’ coaching staff under Johnny Jones from 2012-15.
Prior to his return to Baton Rouge, Patrick spent two seasons as the head coach at Sacramento State. The Hornets led the Big Sky Conference in rebound margins each of his two seasons as head coach and finished among the top 25 teams in the nation both years. Patrick’s 2022-23 team posted the most wins in school history by a first-year coach. In 2023-24, Sacramento State advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament. It was the first time the team had won two games at the postseason event since joining the league in 1996. Since 2019, Patrick has been an assistant coach for the Australian National Team. In 2021, he was part of the staff that helped the Boomers win a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, the country’s first men’s basketball Olympic medal. In the 2024 Paris Games, Australia advanced past group play and into the knockout stage before falling in the quarterfinals.
Patrick and Bennett have previously worked together. Patrick was the associate head coach at Saint Mary’s for four years (2006-10). In his final year in Moraga, the team reached the 2010 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, winning a school-record 28 games and the West Coast Conference tournament title. The Gaels also advanced to the 2008 NCAA Tournament and the quarterfinals of the 2009 NIT.
After leaving Saint Mary’s, he spent two seasons as a player personnel scout for the Houston Rockets before accepting a job on the staff at LSU. Patrick cemented his reputation as a top-flight recruiter with the Tigers, helping bring LSU a Top-5 recruiting class in 2013 and 2015. After leaving LSU, he spent two seasons at TCU, including a 2017 NIT title run and an NCAA appearance, the first for the school in 20 years. For two years, he was the head coach at UC Riverside (2018-20). In 2020, he was a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award, given to the top mid-major coach in the country. His 2020 team won 17 games, tying a school record for the most Division I wins. That team finished eighth nationally in scoring defense at 60.6 points per game. He also served one season each as an associate head coach at Arkansas and Oklahoma. The 2021 Arkansas team advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite 8 and finished 25-7.
During his playing days, Patrick was one of the first Australians to pave the way and come stateside to play basketball. He moved to Baton Rouge from Melbourne, where he attended Chapel Trafton High School in Louisiana. That is where he got on the radar of collegiate coaches after he earned district MVP and First Team All-Parish honors, while also being selected to play in the Louisiana State High School All-Star Game.
One of those coaches whose attention he caught was legendary Syracuse Head Coach and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim. Boeheim recruited and signed Patrick during one of Syracuse's most successful eras.
As a freshman serving as a reserve guard, Patrick and the Orange reached the 1996 NCAA Championship Game, only the second time the program had made it that far. Patrick finished out his collegiate career at Southwest Louisiana (now Louisiana Ragin Cajuns) before beginning his professional career in the NBL (National Basketball League in Australia/New Zealand) with a few stops throughout Europe. After he was done playing the game, he immediately went into coaching and has continued to work his way up in the industry.
The Patrick family includes David’s wife, Cassie, and their two children, Bailee and Madison.