Nearly two weeks after his godson, former LSU forward Ben Simmons, declared for the NBA Draft, LSU associate head coach David Patrick is leaving the program for an assistant coaching job at TCU, as first reported by ESPN and confirmed by LSU to The Daily Reveille.
Patrick, who arrived in Baton Rouge when Johnny Jones was hired as head coach in 2012, was key to LSU signing a top-five recruiting class in 2015, including Simmons and guards Antonio Blakeney and Brandon Sampson. He was also responsible for a majority of 2013 class grouping of Jarell Martin, Jordan Mickey and Tim Quarterman.
Earlier today, Blakeney announced he was submitting his name for the NBA draft but would not hire an agent, leaving the possibility of returning to LSU for his sophomore season.
Patrick is the second LSU coach to take a coaching job with the Horned Frogs as former Tiger captain and TCU coach Trent Johnson was removed from the program on March 14.
Johnson coached LSU from 2008-2012.
The 40-year-old Patrick will join TCU’s new head coach Jamie Dixon on the sidelines as his lead assistant.
Like Simmons and junior forward Darcy Malone, Patrick is originally from Australia. The Tigers signed 6-foot-4 Australian guard Kieran Hayward in the 2016 recruiting class.