1. Seamus Brennan
Staff Writer
DeKALB | The illustration on the cover of the 2009-2010
NIU men’s basketball media guide paints a picture.
NIU’s eight Chicago-area players are portrayed, stand-
ing in front of a DeKalb cornfield with head coach Ricardo
Patton. Behind the field is the Chicago skyline overlook-
ing Lake Michigan.
“Chicago Moves West” sits across the bottom of the cover.
The image symbolizes what Patton set out to do when
introduced as NIU’s head coach in 2007: make Chicago the
recruiting pipeline for NIU basketball.
“We will recruit inside out,” he said at the time. “I think
that Chicago has great tradition with high school basket-
ball, and we want to make DeKalb a home away from home
for student athletes from Chicago.”
But with three straight losing seasons, some wonder if
Patton has made the most of Chicago being in his backyard.
Joe Henricksen is the editor of City/Suburban Hoops
Report, a 15-year publication that high school basketball
coaches, fans and media subscribe to. Henricksen believes
the Chicago-area talent in NIU isn’t sufficient to move the
program forward.
“If Xavier Silas didn’t transfer and you see what they
have left from the Chicago area, how good are they?” Hen-
ricksen rhetorically asked. “The Chicago-area talent on
NIU right now isn’t the talent [it] needs to win the MAC.”
Patton declined to comment when asked to respond to
Henricksen’s assessment.
Henricksen attributes the lack of talent to a deficient
NIU presence in the Chicago recruiting scene of high
school and AAU basketball.
AAU is high school basketball’s
supplement. Players will join AAU
teams to continue playing bas-
ketball during their high school
basketball off-season. It provides
opportunities for players to showcase and improve their
skills during the summer months. Almost all college bas-
ketball players today have played AAU ball.
“It has not been the most visible coaching staff in the
Chicago-area gyms as far as in both high school and AAU
circuits,” Henricksen said. “I think that has hurt them a
little bit.”
Henricksen did praise Patton for hiring Todd Townsend. The
first-year assistant coach, who started all 33 games for Mar-
quette’s 2003 Final Four run, has represented well for NIU in the
Chicago area, according to many sources.
“Todd Townsend was a terrific hire by Ricardo,” Hen-
ricksen said. “Todd Townsend, in the short period of time
that he has been there, is the most recognizable guy as far
as Northern Illinois basketball. He has worked his tail off.
But I’m not sure that’s the way you want it; your first-year
guy that everybody knows and recognizes. There’s only so
much Todd can do. You got to have multiple coaches that
have a presence.”
Henricksen isn’t alone when saying Patton and his
staff, minus Townsend, have been less noticeable than
other universities.
A high school basketball coach in the Chicago area, who
asked to remain anonymous and who has two D-I pros-
pects in his program, said Patton is the only coach in the
state who hasn’t inquired about his players.
“All the other mid-major programs in the state have
been in contact with us in some way or another, whether
they come into an open gym to check out [our two pros-
pects] or touch base with us by coming to a practice,” he
said. “A lot of schools will send out e-mail newsletters af-
ter a big win or before a big game just to reach out a lit-
tle and generate some interest. But NIU doesn’t do any of
that.”
Establishing relationships with high school coaches and
AAU coaches is a big component of recruiting. But Dick-
ey Simpkins, former Chicago Bull and founder of the AAU
program Team NLP, said he has no relationship with NIU.
THE TRUTH MUST BEAR ALL LIGHT ´ SINCE 1899 WWW.NORTHERNSTAR.INFO
Patton’s recruiting scrutinized
Critics question men’s basketball
coach’s strategy, presence
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2010
Please see RECRUITS | Page 12
“... we want to make DeKalb a home away from
home for student athletes from Chicago.”
Ricardo Patton
NIU men’s basketball head coach
What’s inside
VOLUME 110, ISSUE 92
Classifieds 10 News 01-05
Comics 09 Police blotters 04
Crossword 09 Sports 10-12
Scene 06-07 Sudoku 09
FYI 02 Perspective 08
Forecast
TODAY » Flurries
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WEDNESDAY » Flurries
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ONLINE ICE HOCKEY AT THE LAGOON
Check out the Northern Star’s video featuring the East
Lagoon in its frozen state. Find out who skates there and
why they like coming to the icy lagoon during winter.
Mike Greene | Northern Star file photo
NIU men’s basketball head coach Ricardo Patton, third from left, watches players during a game earlier this season.
Mike Greene | Northern Star
Men’s basketball head coach Ricardo Patton
ONLINE MIKE VS. NIU GYMNASTICS
Watch sports writer Mike Buda challenge the NIU gymnastics
team at its own sport in the newest online video Mike vs. NIU.
You can find this video at NorthernStar.info.