BOULDER — One of his first introductions to University of Colorado men's basketball came almost 20 years ago on the outskirts of Wichita, with Ricardo Patton occupying the back seat of a rental car bound for Hutchinson, Kan.

Patton, a young assistant coach at Middle Tennessee State, was listening to his boss, Bruce Stewart, and then-Nebraska coach Danny Nee talk business — in this case, current or projected Division I head coaching vacancies.

Stewart, in the process of compiling a 141-76 record in seven seasons (three NCAA appearances) at MTSU, was interested in climbing the coaching ladder. Nee, a coaching vagabond of sorts, was providing background on CU, which was about to rid itself of Tom Miller and hire Joe Harrington.

"They're talking, and Bruce asks Danny about the Colorado job," Patton recalled recently. "Danny said, 'I'm not sure. All the coaches who have been there haven't been bad coaches; there's something else going on with that place.'

"I distinctively remember that, because Bruce still wanted it, and he talked about getting an assistant who could recruit the West Coast.

"It was my first year in college coaching and I'm listening to this conversation. ... I never dreamed I would end up here, that I would end up with this job."

Or keep it for 11 years. Or develop the relationships he has. Or endure the accompanying highs and lows.

Patton, a former television studio cameraman in Nashville, Tenn., who simply couldn't beat a coaching addiction, is closing in on the end of his CU tenure. He coaches his final home game today, against Nebraska (11:30 a.m., Coors Events Center), with the school planning a postgame tribute.

Critics contend Patton's CU career never should have lasted this long, particularly through a season preceded by his unexpected Oct. 25 announcement that he would not coach the Buffaloes again.

But then and now, Patton, in the final year of a contract he was certain would not be renewed, believes he did not act impetuously. Without elaborating, he said a "number of things" happened that confirmed his decision was right and made at the right time.

"I feel more comfortable now than I did then. I am at peace. ... I personally don't believe we've shortchanged the University of Colorado," Patton said.

An 'amicable' departure

Patton conceded he and athletic director Mike Bohn have "some philosophical differences that also have confirmed to me that it was time to move on."

But he also said Bohn and his special assistant, Tom McGrath, who heads the search committee seeking Patton's successor, have "been willing to listen" to his opinions "about what ... needs to be in place to help the next guy."

Of his departure, Patton said, "I don't know if amicable is the right word to use ... but, yeah, it will be amicable."

If that has a contradictory ring, the sound nonetheless defines a sizable portion of a CU career checkered with points/counterpoints made by allies and detractors.

Patton will leave the school ranked No. 2 on the all-time win list for men's basketball coaches, behind Sox Walseth. Of CU's four 20-win seasons, his teams recorded three. Of CU's three NCAA Tournament appearances since 1968, his teams recorded two.

He posted a 5-7 record in games coached against Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State) and a 3-4 record in games coached against Bob Knight (Indiana, Texas Tech).

Detractors, though, immediately point to habitually soft nonconference schedules they say helped pad his career victory total and allegedly helped foster apathy toward the men's program. They also cite a marginal all-time conference record (79-107 entering today) and sporadic player dissatisfaction even on some of his better teams.

The senior-laden 2005-06 Buffs provided a case study in inner turmoil, devolving from a team that carried a 15-3 record and probable NCAA Tournament bid into February. The Buffs lost seven of the final 12 games.

That implosion, coupled with (or perhaps ignited by) friction within the coaching staff, probably cost Patton any chance of a contract extension, although Bohn, undoubtedly wanting his own hire to head the program, insisted he would decide Patton's future at the conclusion of this season.

Patton didn't give Bohn the opportunity, announcing his resignation, then launching an ill-fated season that will send Patton off with his worst record, a school mark for home losses and flickering unrest on a team probably too young (eight scholarship freshmen) to savor success under any coach.

Mixed feelings

Former CU forward Jamahl Mosley, now a Nuggets assistant, contends the circumstances surrounding Patton's October resignation and the ensuing season have eclipsed his former coach's career accomplishments.

"All the stuff that's happened recently, that's overshadowed his success there," Mosley said. "You never realize what you have until it's gone.

"I don't question his tactics; he was successful over the long haul and his kids graduated. Bottom line, people can talk about basketball strategy and what he did or didn't do, but if you need him to be there for you, he's there. I just know what he did for me while I was there."

In fact, the academic status of the CU men's program has slipped since the introduction of the NCAA Academic Progress Report. When the latest APR is released later this spring, Patton's team will stand alone as a subpar performer among CU's 16 athletic programs.

The APR's minimum score is 925; Patton's program scored 872 for the 2005-06 academic year, which translates to a 50 percent graduation rate. The men's basketball team has been below 925 in two of the APR's three years.

Not all former Buffs left with memories as fond as Mosley's. There was the frigid night in Ames, Iowa, when Patton had his players walk back to their hotel after losing to Iowa State. There were the nights before games spent on cots in the events center, ostensibly putting players in the right mind-set to defend their home court.

Patton is unrepentant, if he needed to be, about those episodes, as well as torturous conditioning work that some players viewed as more punitive than instructive.

He believes he is a "better communicator" now than when CU appointed him as interim coach in 1995-96. "But the one thing I think I'll never apologize for is showing kids tough love — at least the ones who can handle it," he said. "I think one thing I've gotten better at is not painting all kids with the same brush."

In Mosley's case, he says Patton "taught me how to grow up. Basketball was one aspect of it, but he taught me about life, about being a stand-up man. Those are the reasons I went to (CU) in the first place.

"I believe no matter what you do, there always will be people who are critical of you. Whether the success is there or not, there will be critics."

Patton couldn't help but hear them. More than once before and during his tumultuous final season, he has been reflective and realistic enough to acknowledge the need for a change at the helm of Buffs basketball.

After CU's 75-46 loss Feb. 14 to No. 9 Kansas — it was a defeat in which Patton sniped at some players and those players retaliated — he said he knew "it was time to put a fresh face on the program" when he announced his resignation.

After some losses, Patton often stated his only known remedy was to "work harder" — a life lesson he hopes his players absorbed. Patton is certain it worked for him; he said he benefited from "being taught at a very early age about working hard. ... Trying to outwork the next guy, I still think that's my strength."

Patton's plans are uncertain. He hopes to remain a college coach but is "maintaining an open mind."

How marketable he might be in Division I or at a lower level is a great, but not unsettling, unknown. He believes "basketball is basketball. ... (It's) being played at a high level at every level you can imagine."

That he reached the level he's leaving, temporarily or otherwise, makes him feel "truly blessed" and reaffirms a belief that "my steps have been ordered by God."

"I got the opportunity to work with some wonderful coaches," he said, mentioning Stewart, Tennessee State's Frankie Allen and his CU predecessor, Harrington.

"I don't do much reflecting on my past. But when I do, I feel thankful about it."

brooksb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5466

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