Patrick Gayle enters the 2017-18 season, having taken St. Thomas to the NAIA National Championship tournament in three of his five seasons as Head Coach.
In his first full season as Head Coach, Gayle led the Bobcats to an NAIA National Championship Tournament appearance. Coach Gayle and the Bobcats finished the 2012-13 season with a 21-12 overall record and a strong 10-7 record in the Sun Conference. He followed that with a 26=7 overall record and a 16-2 conference mark in 2013-14 capped by a return trip to the National Championship Tournament. At the 2013-14 tournament, Gayle led the Bobcats to a 75-72 win over Union (Ky.) in the NAIA tournament. In the 2014-15 season, the Bobcats made their fourth straight trip (third straight under Gayle) to the NAIA Championships.
The 2015-16 season featured wins over highly ranked national opponents Warner (ranked 7th at the time) and Keiser (also ranked 7th) en route to an 18-10 overall record and a 11-5 Sun Conference mark.
The 2016-17 season brought a sharp 20-9 regular season record, along with an 11-5 Sun Conference record. The Bobcats opened the season on a hot 8-0 start, which consisted of two wins against NCAA DII opponents Nova Southeastern and a three-game sweep over top NAIA teams at the NAIA Southeastern Challenge. The team finished the season ranked third in The Sun Conference regular season. 2017 also marked a milestone for Coach Gayle who surpassed the 100 career win mark with a regular season victory over conference opponents Ave Maria in early February. At the end of the season, he finished with an overall STU record of 102-51 (.667 winning percentage) as a head coach.
Gayle took over as Head Coach following four seasons as Assistant Coach with Coach Clark Maloney with the Bobcats going 69-49 with Gayle on the staff. Prior to St. Thomas, Gayle was an Assistant Coach at Tiffin University (Ohio), Creekside HS in Fairburn, Ga., and Nova HS in Davie, Fla. At Creekside, Gayle coached Kevin Murphy, a 2012 second-round draft pick of the Utah Jazz out of Tennessee Tech.
“It is an honor to take over for Coach Maloney,” said Gayle. “In being here for four years, I have seen our student-athletes and our entire program grow. This past season was a culmination of many things that for years were in progress. I hope to be able to continue the success that we have established.”
“Coach Maloney has raised the bar and I have already talked to some of our kids and let them know that we have to raise the bar,” continued Gayle. “I have high expectations of myself and of our student-athletes and we will not be afraid of hard work. A mantra of our program is to not run away from high expectations.”
Ken Stibler, who coached Men’s Basketball from 1966-1984 and was the school’s founding Athletic Director, applauded the move to elevate Gayle to Interim Head Coach, while complimenting Maloney for his service at St. Thomas.
“The first thing you notice about Patrick is his tremendous enthusiasm and the way players relate to him is outstanding – they want to play for him,” said Stibler. “I think it will be a wonderful continuation of what Clark has done. Besides being a thorough and sound basketball coach, Clark is a classy individual and always represented the school well. I absolutely see that continuing with Patrick. “
Maloney, who coached STU from 2007-08 to 2011-12 with Gayle as his top assistant for four of those years, agrees with Stibler 100 percent.
“I am leaving everything in good hands with Patrick Gayle who has been with me for every step of the way these past four years,” said Maloney. “He has always been the steady hand in everything we do and his integrity is impeccable. I believe he will really blossom and show a lot of people what he is capable for.”
Gayle is a strong believer in the NAIA Champions of Character program and in giving back to the local community, especially through youth programs. Most recently, Gayle has worked with the Dwyane Wade Basketball Camp, where he was named the 2011 Coach of the Camp. In his tenth year as a teacher with experience in the Miami-Dade and Broward school systems, Gayle is currently the Lead Teacher for STEM Math at Margate Middle School in Margate, Fla.
Gayle resides in Sunrise, Fla. and holds a B.S. from the University of Memphis and a M.B.A. from Tiffin University.
