Ali Patberg returns to Indiana women’s basketball as team and recruitment coordinator

All through Ali Patberg’s time at Indiana, she grew to become one of many faces of Indiana girls’s basketball. After the workforce misplaced within the Candy Sixteen in March, ending the 2021-22 season and Patberg’s collegiate profession, followers had one factor on their minds: “Coach” Ali Patberg.

Friday morning, that thought grew to become actuality as Patberg was named a workforce and recruitment coordinator for Indiana. The information got here lower than two days after the announcement that Ashley Williams, Indiana’s assistant coach who was closely concerned in scouting and recruitment, took a job at North Carolina State College.

Patberg was drafted thirty fourth general by the Indiana Fever within the 2022 WNBA Draft however was waived earlier than the season started. Now, as a substitute of touring abroad to proceed her skilled profession, the Columbus, Indiana, native will keep in her dwelling state and start her teaching profession.

“I want to say thanks to Coach Moren and the remainder of the employees for believing and trusting me as I start my school teaching profession,” Patberg mentioned in a press launch. “I’ll be taught and develop as an expert from among the finest staffs in school basketball and proceed to be part of the Indiana program, which holds such a particular place in my coronary heart.”

Throughout her time as an Indiana participant, Patberg led the Hoosiers to back-to-back Candy Sixteen appearances and three NCAA tournaments. She began in 123 video games, scored 1,752 profession factors — good for ninth in all-time scoring — and was one in all three Hoosiers all-time to earn 4 All-Huge honors in her Indiana profession.

Patberg was additionally a two-time finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the highest level guard in school basketball, and a Girls’s Basketball Coaches Affiliation honorable point out.

“We’re excited to have Ali be part of our employees on this capability after such a profitable collegiate profession,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren mentioned. “Ali is a real competitor who has helped us construct this program and is a implausible individual that can affect our gamers on and off the court docket. We’re trying ahead to seeing her transition right into a member of our employees.”