Pat Monaghan - Men's Basketball Coach - Southern Illinois University Athletics

Pat Monaghan

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
patrick.monaghan@siu.edu
Phone:
618-453-7950
Alma Mater:
Lewis University, 2006

Pat Monaghan was named assistant coach at Southern Illinois on April 17, 2019. An 11-year coaching veteran, he spent the last two seasons on the staff at UW Milwaukee (2017-19) of the Horizon League. The Panthers were among just a handful of teams to beat nationally ranked Loyola in 2017-18, topping the eventual Final Four-bound Ramblers by 17 points in non-conference play.

In June of 2022, Monaghan was selected to attend the Jay Bilas Coaches Leadership Program. The program was designed to identify and develop up-and-coming coaches who have the potential to be Division I College Head Coaches. The four-day leadership program in Charlotte was limited to 12 Division 1 assistant coaches nationwide who have been recognized as rising stars in the profession as assistants.

At SIU, Monaghan played a leading role in bringing Marcus Domask to the program. Domask had one of the best freshman seasons in program history, earning Freshman All-America honors, along with the league's Freshman and Newcomer of the Year awards. Domask was one of only four freshmen in the nation in average at least 13.5 points, 5 rebounds and 2.5 steals.

Working with post players, Monaghan also developed graduate transfer Barret Benson, who averaged 10.6 points and 5.6 rebounds on 51 percent shooting.

The Salukis were one of the premier defensive teams in the country, ranking in the top-15 nationally in scoring defense. The Salukis led the MVC in scoring defense for the first time since 2006-07, allowing just 62.2 points per game. SIU outperformed the preseason expectations of ESPN's BPI, KenPom, Sagarin, Norlander, and Sports Illustrated. SIU returned only three players from the previous year's team, but the team won 10 MVC games anyway, the most ever by a team that had been picked last in the league's preseason poll. The Salukis ran off 10-straight home wins and seven-straight MVC wins during the season, both of which were the longest for the program since 2007.

Monaghan and the staff were recognized when head coach Bryan Mullins was named runner-up for the MVC Coach of the Year, as well as the Joe B. Hall Award, which is given to the nation's best first-year head coach.

In Monaghan's second season at SIU, the Salukis jumped out to a 7-0 start to the season, the best for the program since 2008. That start included a win against Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse, snapping Butler's nation-leading 59-game nonconference home court winning streak. Butler had not lost a nonconference home game since 2012 prior to SIU's win there in December 2020.

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 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. In the offseason, Ben Coupet Jr., who averaged double-figures on a conference-title-winning Little Rock team in 2020, signed with SIU as a graduate transfer.

Prior to UWM, Monaghan was an assistant for six seasons at Division II powerhouse Minnesota State (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 team tied the school record with 28 wins 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.

A native of Chicago, Monaghan served as the director of basketball operations at Loyola (2010-11) and two years as an assistant at Coffeyville Community College (2008-10), where he helped guide the Ravens to a 46-20 record, including a Jayhawk East Conference Championship in 2009.

Born April 20, 1984, Monaghan played collegiately at Division II Lewis University and led the Flyers in scoring with 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. He earned his master's degree from Wayne State College.

Pat Monaghan Coaching Career
2006-08: Wayne State College (Neb.), Graduate Assistant Coach
2008-10: Coffeyville Community College, Assistant Coach
2010-11: Loyola, Director of Operations
2011-17: Minnesota State, Assistant Coach
2017-19: UW Milwaukee, Assistant Coach
2019-Present: Southern Illinois, Assistant Coach

Pat Monaghan Playing Career
2002-04: Harper Community College
2004-06: Lewis University

Mullins on Monaghan

"Pat is one of the hardest working coaches in the profession. I have not met anyone who doesn't greatly respect him in college or high school basketball. Pat has no ego, he's not entitled and he will have great relationships with our guys. He has formed tremendous recruiting relationships with junior colleges across the country as well as strong Midwest ties to high school and grassroots programs," Mullins explained. "His extensive knowledge of the game and passion to teach will help our program tremendously."