Rafferty Named New Men's Basketball Assistant
July 19, 2000 | Men's Basketball
June 10, 1999
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Pat Rafferty, head coach at Midland (Texas) College for the past five years, has been named Assistant Basketball Coach on University of Louisville Coach Denny Crum's staff.
Rafferty, 41, compiled a 97-50 record at Midland, leading the Chaparrals to a Western Junior College Athletic Conference Championship in 1998, the school's first in 11 years. Thirteen of his players at Midland signed with NCAA Division I schools, including junior college All-Americans D'Juan Baker of Cincinnati, Harold Arceneaux of Weber State and Kevin Rice of Utah State.
"Pat is the perfect fit for our needs," said Crum. "He's got a lot of energy, is very personable, an excellent recruiter, has a lot of contacts, outstanding basketball knowledge and will spend as many hours as it takes to get the job done. His father was a basketball coach and he's grown up with basketball as a big part of his life. I've had an opportunity to spend a lot of time talking one-on-one with Pat, and have been very impressed with his knowledge of the game and recruiting philosophy.
"I considered a number of quality people, including some of our former players, but I thought it might be in our best interest to not get too many on our staff with the same basic background. I think it can be beneficial to get new ideas and new perspectives. We went that route with Vince (Taylor, who joined the U of L staff as an assistant last year) and it's worked out really well. I wanted someone on our staff that the U of L basketball family and fans could be proud of, and I think Pat is a perfect fit."
A native of Buffalo, Wyoming, Rafferty was an all-state guard for his father Jack, who is a member of the Wyoming Coaches Hall of Fame. He played one season at Northwest Community College and completed his playing career at Eastern Montana (now Montana State University-Billings), where he earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education.
Rafferty began his coaching career in 1981 as an assistant at his alma mater. He served as interim head coach that year following the mid-season death of the Eastern Montana head coach, guiding the Yellow Jackets to a 20-9 final record, the NCAA Division II Western Regional finals, and a No. 17 national ranking.
After two additional years returning to an assistant's role at Eastern Montana, Rafferty spent two seasons as assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Northern Arizona. Following a year as assistant head coach at Idaho, he became head coach at Casper (Wyoming) College, where he compiled a 47-23 mark in two seasons. His 1987-88 team posted a 30-8 record, won the Wyoming Junior College Athletic Conference Championship, sub-regional and regional titles, and finished sixth in the NJCAA National Championship in Hutchinson, Kansas. He earned Region IX Coach of the Year honors that season.
He returned to Northern Arizona as head coach in 1988, ranking him at the time as the nation's youngest NCAA Division I head coach. He served as a scout for the Minnesota Timberwolves (1990-92) before becoming assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Drake for two seasons.
"I've known Pat for a long time and have closely followed his career in a variety of situations," said U of L Director of Athletics Tom Jurich, who was Director of Athletics at Northern Arizona when Rafferty was an assistant and head coach. "He has a tremendous work ethic, has very good recruiting ties and is such a good fit within the chemistry of our men's basketball staff. He's spent a lot of time with Denny and really made a big impression on him. I look forward to great things from Pat and the advancement of our entire men's basketball staff."
"Pat compiled a good record in what we consider to be one the strongest two-year conferences in the country," said Midland College President David Daniels. "He excelled not only in victories on the court, but in understanding what we're all about, as in student-athletes being here to get an education in addition to their other activities. He is interested in the total student-athlete, not just in what he can accomplish on the basketball court. He's a great tactician, a good floor leader with discipline and is a good person."
"Pat is a tireless worker, is very knowledgeable and is a very loyal person," said U of L Head Football Coach John L. Smith, who coached at Idaho when Rafferty was an assistant there. "I may be biased by my friendship with him, but I don't know what more you could want in a person."
"Pat is a hard worker, sincere and brings great energy to the program," said Jerry Eaves, who Rafferty replaces following Eaves' departure on May 28 to join the NBA Charlotte Hornets as an assistant coach. "His junior college ties and overall contacts will certainly help in the recruiting process. I've seen his no-nonsense approach with players demand respect and receive it in return. His addition is definitely in the best interest of U of L."
