Nebraska men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg announced Thursday morning that veteran college assistant Pat Monaghan will join the Husker coaching staff.
“I am extremely humbled and appreciative for the opportunity to join Coach Hoiberg and his outstanding staff,” Monaghan said. “The momentum Coach and his staff have built over the last couple years is exciting, along with the loyal and passionate fan base that is one of the best in the country. I am looking forward to developing relationships on campus and in the community. I can’t wait to get to Lincoln and get to work.”
“Pat is a well-rounded coach who is an excellent teacher, strong in skill development and a relentless recruiter,” Hoiberg said. “In talking with other coaches who have worked with Pat over the years, the things they bring up are his work ethic and his ability to connect with players. He’s been a part of building successful programs at different levels and has experience in the Midwest at both the Division I and junior college levels. I am excited to have him join the Husker basketball coaching staff.”
Monaghan, who has 19 years of experience in the college ranks, spent the 2024-25 season at Wyoming under Head Coach Sundance Wicks. Monaghan helped retool a Cowboy roster which had just two players who had played at the school when he arrived in May of 2024. Monaghan helped recruit Obi Agbim, who was the Mountain West Newcomer of the Year and third-team all-MW selection. In all, the Cowboys were competitive despite a 12-20 record with 13 of the losses coming by single digits.
He has been recognized for his efforts, as he was selected to attend the Top Connect Basketball Symposium in Las Vegas, Nev., in 2024 and the Jay Bilas Coaches Leadership Program in 2022. Both programs are designed to identify and develop up-and-coming assistants who have the potential to be Division I College Head Coaches.
Monaghan worked under Wicks at Green Bay, leading one of the biggest turnarounds in the country in 2023-24. In his lone season in Green Bay, he helped the Phoenix win 18 games, the most regular-season wins since 2016-17. Green Bay also achieved Horizon League success, winning 13 HL games for the first time since the 2013-14 season. The Phoenix went 18-14 in 2023-24 after a 3-29 season in 2022-24, as the 15-game turnaround is tied for 10th-best turnaround in NCAA DI history.
Monaghan also helped guide numerous players to award-winning seasons. Noah Reynolds was named the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year, All-Horizon League First Team, and NABC District 12 All-Region First Team after in 2023-24. Green Bay also had two freshmen named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team with Horizon League Freshman of the Year David Douglas Jr. and Marcus Hall.
Success has followed Monaghan throughout his coaching career. Before Green Bay, he spent four years at Southern Illinois, helping the Salukis to a 67-55 record. His final season at SIU, the Salukis won 23 games, which was the most by the program since 2006-07.
Monaghan was influential in the recruitment and development of Marcus Domask, who was a three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference honoree before he finished his career at Illinois. Domask, who was one of two players in program history to record 1,600 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists. In his first season, Domask swept the MVC Freshman and Newcomer-of-the-Year honors and was a Freshman All-American by College Insider.
Monaghan was also instrumental in signing one of the best recruiting classes in school history. Troy D’Amico and Scottie Ebube were both ranked as top-10 players in the state of Illinois, and D’Amico was the highest-rated in-state recruit to sign with SIU since 2008. Foster Wonders, the runner-up for Michigan Mr. Basketball in 2021 and the No. 5 ranked player in the state of Michigan, also signed with SIU.
Prior to Southern Illinois, Monaghan spent two seasons (2017-19) at Milwaukee. The Panthers were among just a handful of teams to beat nationally ranked Loyola-Chicago in 2017-18, topping the eventual Final Four-bound Ramblers by 17 points in non-conference play.
Before his stop at Milwaukee, Monaghan was an assistant for six seasons at Division II powerhouse Minnesota State University (2011-17), where he helped the Mavericks to four NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference titles. He was also the recruiting coordinator for the Mavericks, and 13 players earned All-NSIC honors during his tenure. The Mavericks won 28 games in 2012-13 and topped that with a 30-5 mark in 2013-14. The Mavs won 20 or more games in each of his final five campaigns.
He served as the director of basketball operations at Loyola Chicago (2010-11) and two years as an assistant at Coffeyville Community College (2008-2010), where he helped guide the Ravens to a 46-20 record, including a Jayhawk East Conference Championship in 2009. He began his coaching career at Wayne State (2006-08), serving as a graduate assistant for two seasons while earning his master’s degree.
Monaghan played collegiately at Lewis (Ill.) University and led the Flyers in scoring at 14.0 points per game as a senior in 2005-06. Prior to Lewis, he played two seasons at Harper Junior College and was named Third-Team NJCAA All-American in 2004.
Huskers.com
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