Patella steps down as head men’s basketball coach at WVWC

Nick Patella
Nick Patella (Photo by David Faber)
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BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — After two seasons at the helm, Nick Patella has resigned as West Virginia Wesleyan head men’s basketball coach. The decision is due to Patella’s desire to spend more time at home with his family.

“I greatly appreciate the leadership that Coach Patella has provided during his term as head men’s basketball coach,” WVWC Athletic Director Randy Tenney said. “We wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors. We will work as quickly as possible to fill the opening.”

A former WVWC graduate assistant, Patella returned to Buckhannon as head coach in August 2019 after a four-year stint as the head coach at Davis & Elkins.

“I want to thank Coach Tenney and President Thierstein for giving me the opportunity to fulfill a dream in becoming the head men’s basketball coach at West Virginia Wesleyan,” Patella said. “I will miss being around the fantastic people and student-athletes at Wesleyan every day, but I plan on following the program closely.”

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Derek Sloan was named as the interim head coach of the program, the school said Tuesday.

Sloan spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach on Patella’s staff. In 2018, Sloan served as an assistant basketball coach at Culver Military Academy in Culver, Ind.

The Cleveland, Ohio native was a member of the Cleveland State University men’s basketball team from 2013-2018 as he earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

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