Patrick Blake was hired as assistant coach for the EKU men's basketball program in July of 2019.
Blake helped compile the highest rated Eastern Kentucky class in the internet recruiting era. EKU’s 2022 class was ranked 65th in the country by 247Sports, higher than such programs as South Carolina (66th), Kansas State (67th), Connecticut (73rd), Georgia (79th), Oklahoma State (81st), Arizona (83rd), Mississippi State (86th) and North Carolina State (94th).
The class included the program’s first-ever ESPN four-star freshman recruit, a former four-star high school prospect, a three-star freshman point guard, a former three-star high school forward, a three-star freshman center, a junior college All-American and Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball, the first to come to EKU as a freshman since 1980.
Blake aided the recruiting efforts to fill two open scholarship spots for the class of 2023 with a former ESPN four-star recruit, and a Division I transfer with 119 three-pointers the last two seasons.
In 2022-23 Blake helped the team win 23 games, the third most in one season in program history. The Colonels reach the championship game of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). It was the program’s first national postseason tournament title game ever and the first time in 78 years that an EKU team won three games in a national tournament.
In 2020-21, EKU won 22 games, tied for the fourth-most in program history, meaning Blake has been on the staff for two of the five winningest teams ever. In the past four seasons, the Colonels have won 20 or more games twice, received two national postseason tournament invitations and advanced to the conference tournament semifinals three times.
Despite being picked to finish 10th in the ASUN Conference in 2022-23, the Colonels placed third. EKU led all NCAA Division I teams in Kentucky in wins. The squad broke 19 program records, including points in a season, blocks in a season, field goals in a season and games played.
“I’m excited to have Pat Blake as part of our basketball family at EKU,” head coach A.W. Hamilton said. “I’ve admired Pat for a long time. He was one of the best junior college head coaches in the country during his time at Chipola. As an assistant at Coastal Carolina, he recruited several of my players at Hargrave that were a cut above the league they were in. I was also blown away by his professionalism and work ethic during each recruiting process. He gives us another tremendous coach that is well rounded in all the areas that impact winning.”
In each of the past three seasons the Colonels have led the conference in scoring. EKU was the eighth highest scoring team in the nation in 2020-21, averaging more than 80 points per game, the 16th highest scoring team in 2021-22 and 30th in 2022-23.
During the 2021-22 season the Colonels broke program records for 3-pointers in a game (25), 3-pointers attempted in a game (51), 3-pointers made (363) and attempted (1,029) in a season, and 3-point field goals in a road game (18). EKU ranked second in the country in turnover margin (+5.84), third in 3-pointers per game (11.71), fourth in steals per game (10.19), seventh in turnovers forced (17.42) and 19th in offensive rebounds (12.58). The team led the ASUN in all those categories as well.
In 2020-21 Blake helped the Colonels to a 22-7 mark and the most conference wins in program history (15). The team ranked as high as No. 12 in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 and concluded that season ranked 25th. The .759 winning percentage was the best by a Colonel team since 1964-65, and was the highest winning percentage by any NCAA Division I team in the Commonwealth of Kentucky that season. The Colonels also led the nations in steals (10.3 per game).
Blake has played a key role in player development. Wendell Green Jr. broke the single game assist record, the freshman record for assists in a season and was selected to the Freshman All-America Team in 2020-21. Michael Moreno has climbed to third in program history in 3-pointers made, 10th in rebounds and 15th in scoring. He set single game program records for 3-pointers (11) and 3-point attempts (22) in 2022-23. Devontae Blanton capped the 2022-23 season by earning first team All-ASUN honors, first team NABC All-District recognition, and ASUN and CBI All-Tournament distinction. In his first five seasons as an assistant coach, EKU has had six all-conference selections, three all-freshman/newcomer honorees and two conference all-tournament picks.
Blake came to EKU following four successful seasons as an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina University. He helped the Chanticleers transition into the Sun Belt Conference with back-to-back 20-win seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
In his first season with the program (2015-16), Blake helped guide Coastal Carolina to a 21-12 record and a berth in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. On March 15, 2016, CCU defeated Mercer for the Chanticleers’ first-ever national postseason victory. CCU won two more games before falling to UC Irvine in the semifinals.
In 2016-17, Coastal Carolina’s first season in the Sun Belt, Blake and the Chanticleers went 20-19 and qualified for another postseason tournament – the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). CCU made an even deeper run in that tournament, winning four games and advancing all the way to the championship before falling in a three-game series to Wyoming. Blake helped lead Coastal Carolina back to the CBI in 2019, where the Chanticleers stunned West Virginia, 109-91, in a second-round game in Morgantown.
Before arriving at Coastal, Blake was the head coach at Chipola College in the Florida panhandle from 2012 to 2015. In his time as head coach, he compiled an overall record of 62-30 and was named the 2013-14 Panhandle Conference and State Coach of the Year.
During the 2013-14 season, which produced a 26-6 record, Blake led the Indians to a Panhandle Conference Championship, NJCAA Region VIII/FCSAA Championship and an Elite Eight appearance at the NJCAA National Tournament. The Indians’ squad featured the top junior college player in the country, Cinmeon Bowers. All five starting sophomores from the 2013-14 team signed NCAA Division I scholarships: Bowers (Auburn), Sam Cassell, Jr. (UConn), Torian Graham (Houston), Carlos Morris (Minnesota), and Demetrious Floyd (Stephen F. Austin).
During the 2012-13 season, the Indians posted a 26-5 record and a second-place finish in the Panhandle Conference. Blake’s first recruiting class produced three Panhandle All-Conference selections and was comprised of five of the nation’s top-40 players, including the No. 1 and No. 4 ranked players overall.
In addition to his work on the court, Blake led the Indians to an improved performance in the classroom and in the community. The Indians posted a team GPA of greater than 3.0 and saw the largest turnout for Chipola’s Basketball Camp.
Blake served as an assistant at Chipola from 2010 to 2012. Prior to Chipola, Blake was a graduate assistant under head coach Andy Kennedy at the University of Mississippi (2008-10).
Blake graduated from the University of Louisville in June 2009 with a degree in business marketing. At Louisville he was a student manager for four years, serving as head manager the last two. He was with the team during the 2005 Final Four run and 2008 Elite Eight run.
Blake is a native of Evansville, Indiana.
