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01/11/2017 11:00 PMPat Quinn has basketball in his blood and this winter he begins his latest venture in the sport as the new head coach of Old Saybrook boys’ hoops. The position is a dream job for Pat, who loves coaching a group of Rams who are showing great hustle on the floor.
Pat was born in New Rochelle, New York, where his father John served as assistant at Iona College under NCAA-title winning coach Jim Valvano. Pat went on to play for his father at Newtown High School before becoming a double-major in economics and political science at UConn, after which he earned his master’s in secondary education at Sacred Heart University.
Pat gained some coaching experience as an assistant at St. Thomas More Prep and, when he heard there was a head coaching opening at Old Saybrook, he leaped at the chance. Now, Pat is the midst of his first year with the Rams and is already pleased to see them displaying great chemistry, along with the motivation to improve.
“The opportunity here sprung out of nowhere. I interviewed and was hired and I also have to say that the administration here at Old Saybrook has been great,” says Pat. “I told the kids and parents that I teach integrity and initiative and I couldn’t say anything better about these kids. When you take over a program, you have certain anxieties, but these kids have all been great. All three teams practice together here and the older kids are so great with the freshmen. We run our practices with a shot clock and the kids are buying into that and the program as a whole. I walked into a great atmosphere and it’s been a great blessing.”
Pat says that his athletes have been superb to work with—so much so that he wishes he could see them every day. As his players are aspiring to reach a higher level under his tutelage, Pat puts the pressure on himself to put the kids in the best position to be successful.
“Whenever we have a day off, I miss the kids because they are that great,” says Pat. “Any loss we have, I put on my back—not theirs. They compete and fight hard every day and that is so awesome to me.”
According to Pat, the fact that his varsity team practices alongside the JV and freshman squads makes the process of learning the playbook that much easier for the Rams.
“Since all the teams practice together, everything almost falls into place because the kids work so hard and want to impress,” Pat says. “I can run a play in practice and I won’t have to show it again. That’s how great they are.”
Old Saybrook Athletic Director Mike Cunningham says it didn’t take long for him to realize that Pat was the perfect fit to be the boys’ basketball team’s new head coach.
“Patrick exemplifies what we are looking for in a leader for our student-athletes. He came into the interview process and, within five minutes, I knew he was our next coach, even with many prospective candidates,” says Cunningham. “His demeanor is second to none, regardless of the score, and he relates well to our student-athletes. Patrick is setting the standards high here in Old Saybrook and we are elated to have him on our staff.”
As he works his way into the heart of his first season, Pat says there’s an emphasis for his team to finish games strong. Pat feels confident that will come to pass as long as the Rams stay committed to working hard on a daily basis.
“They know this, but we need to work on finishing games. We should’ve won a few more games already and be better than [3-4] and I put that on myself, as well,” says Pat. “But they play hard and, looking towards the future, they are getting better every day in practice.”