Patrick Brian Chambers (born December 13, 1970) is an American
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
coach and is the current head coach at
Florida Gulf Coast University
Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is a public university in Lee County, Florida. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is its second youngest member. The university was established on May 3, 1991, and is accredited by the ...
. He is formerly the head men's basketball coach at
Penn State and
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...
.
Biography
Born in
Newtown Square, Pennsylvania
Newtown Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Prior to 1789 it was part of Chester County. The population was 12,216 as of the 2010 census, and was 19,705 as of 2017.
History
The first mention of the township was in 1684, ...
, Chambers played collegiate basketball at
Philadelphia University
Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univer ...
from 1990 to 1994. Despite joining the team without a scholarship, he left it as the starting point guard and the team record-holder in assists. He is currently 7th all-time in steals and led the team to four NCAA Division II Sweet 16 appearances and two Elite Eight finishes.
Chambers took over for
Dennis Wolff as the head coach at Boston University following the 2008–09 season. He was previously the associate head coach at
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Penns ...
. He started at Villanova as director of operations in May 2004. He was promoted to assistant coach after one season and finally Associate Head Coach in June 2008. Prior to Villanova, Chambers was an assistant at
Philadelphia University
Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univer ...
,
Delaware Valley College
Delaware Valley University (DelVal) is a private university in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1896, it enrolls approximately 1,900 students on its suburban, 570-acre campus. DelVal offers more than 28 undergraduate majors, seven master's p ...
and
Episcopal Academy. In his first season at BU, Chambers led the Terriers to a 21–14 overall record and an 11–5 mark in league play. The Terriers fell just short of an
America East Tournament Championship after falling to
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...
83–70 on March 13, 2010. The team did qualify for the 3rd annual
College Basketball Invitational
The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI s ...
and won their first postseason game since 1959. They also hosted the first postseason game in program history, defeating
Morehead State University
Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-year residential ...
in overtime at
Case Gymnasium.
In Chambers' second season at Boston University, he again led the Terriers to a 21–14 overall mark, including a 12–4 mark in conference play. They defeated
Stony Brook University at
Agganis Arena
Agganis Arena is a 7,200-seat multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, on the campus of Boston University, built on the location of the former Commonwealth Armory. It is home to the five-time national champion Boston Univers ...
to win their sixth conference title and clinch an automatic bid into the
NCAA tournament. They received a #16 seed and fell to the #1 seed
Kansas Jayhawks in the round of 64 by a score of 72–53. The game marked the Terriers' first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2002.
Penn State announced Chambers as the 12th head coach in Nittany Lion basketball history in June 2011. The best season Chambers has had at Penn State so far has been the 2017–18 season where the team finished 26–13 and had its highest Big Ten finish in his tenure. The season was highlighted with 3 wins over Ohio State and a 2018 NIT Championship. However, in 2019 Chambers had the team ranked at #23 for their first AP appearance since 1996 after a win over then #4 ranked Maryland and a hot 10–2 start.
Chambers stepped down from his head coaching position at Penn State on October 21, 2020, following an investigation into his past conduct. He was replaced by
Jim Ferry, who coached the team in an interim capacity.
In November 2021, Chambers was hired as an assistant coach at
La Salle under
Ashley Howard. He was hired as head coach of
Florida Gulf Coast University
Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is a public university in Lee County, Florida. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is its second youngest member. The university was established on May 3, 1991, and is accredited by the ...
on March 14, 2022.
Chambers and his wife Courtney have four children: Grace, Ryan, Caitlin, and Patrick.
Head coaching record
References
External links
Penn State profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, Pat
1971 births
Living people
American men's basketball coaches
Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania
Basketball players from Pennsylvania
Boston University Terriers men's basketball coaches
College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
Delaware Valley Aggies men's basketball coaches
La Salle Explorers men's basketball coaches
Penn State Nittany Lions basketball coaches
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's basketball coaches
People from Newtown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Rams men's basketball coaches
Philadelphia Rams men's basketball players
Point guards
Sportspeople from Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Villanova Wildcats men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players