Stevie Patrick is the New Tech Boys Basketball Coach

By Joyce Erekson

Stevie Patrick may have only played basketball at Lynn Tech for two years, but his heart never left the West Lynn school. Now he’s  back as the new head coach of the boys basketball team and he couldn’t be happier.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Patrick said. “I’ve been wanting to do this the

Stevie Patrick.

Stevie Patrick.

past three years.”

Patrick will replace Dave Leary, who stepped down at the end of the season to take the Revere High boys basketball head coaching job. Leary coached Tech for two seasons. Aside from having played for Tech under former coach Jim Ridley, Patrick has also served as a coach in the program under Leary for the past two years.

“It’s such a great feeling. It’s so rewarding to be able to give back to the same neighborhood, the same community where I started playing the game,” Patrick said.

Patrick, 36, left Tech after his sophomore year in order to attend Tabor Academy.

“I didn’t want to leave. My family kind of made me leave because of the educational opportunity it would give me,” he said.

Patrick admits it was the right decision. It exposed him to a whole different world and opened his eyes to what’s out there.

“I met kids from all over the world at Tabor,” he said.

 After spending a year at Quinnipiac University, he transferred to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where he had a standout basketball career. Patrick said he wants his players to have those sort of opportunities.

“it will change their life,” Patrick said. “I grew up like most of these kids who maybe only have one parent in the house at a time. Things might get tough but that’s all you know. Most kids think that’s all there is but you go to prep school, or to college or even summer camp and it opens your eyes to what’s out there in the world.”

As far as his coaching style, Patrick said he’s old school.

“I’m an old school guy. I want to bring the old culture back. Winning is an attitude. If you work hard and prepare every single day, in every single practice and game, the wins will come,” he said.

Patrick knows a thing or two about winning. The Tigers went 16-5 his sophomore year and when he went to Tabor, his teams won two New England Championships. His freshman year at Quinnipiac, the team went 21-8 and when he was at UMass Dartmouth, his team won an ECAC title.

Patrick shouldn’t have a difficult time adjusting given the fact most of the varsity players will be kids he coached on the junior varsity or as freshmen. Patrick’s assistant coach will be his cousin, Carl Stephens. Patrick also has another cousin who is well known in local basketball circles – Dwight Brewington. Brewington is currently a part owner and player of a team in the deaf league in the American Basketball Association.

When he’s not working (he does real estate sales and rentals for CMG in Boston) or coaching, Patrick is enjoying watching his own son play basketball for  his friend and mentor, Dave Brown. Brown is the head coach at St. Mary’s High and he runs a successful AAU basketball program called Ballarz. Patrick said Brown, Ridley, former Tech coach Marvin Avery and Tech athletic director Joe Skeadas have all had a tremendous impact on him.

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