Sellers Named to ABIS Black Coaches Watchlist
Central Connecticut men's basketball head coach Patrick Sellers was was named to the 2024-2025 Advancement of Blasks in Sports (ABIS) Black Coaches Watchlist. Sellers has already been named among the finalists for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year, Ben Jobe and Hugh Durham awards this season. In his fourth season in charge of his alma mater, Sellers guided the Blue Devils to consecutive Northeast Conference regular season titles.
Sellers hasn't just reignited the CCSU program, he's brought back the swagger of the revered Blue Devil teams from the early 2000s. In his fourth season at the helm, the CCSU alum guided his squad to back-to-back NEC regular season titles for the first time in program history, this time with a dominant 14-2 record. The Blue Devils won 25 games overall and posted 14 straight games - the longest streak in the country at the time. Their 12 road victories tied for the most in the country. With a 25-7 mark, CCSU notched consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time as a DI program. The Blue Devils turned heads early with statement wins at Saint Joseph's and UMass, and finished non-conference play with an NEC-record-tying nine victories. Sellers built a team that thrived on both ends, leading the NEC in offensive efficiency while ranking second in defensive efficiency during league play. CCSU's +9.8 scoring margin in conference action was the highest by an NEC team in 13 years. Sellers became the first NEC coach to earn back-to-back Jim Phelan Coach of the Year honors since RMU's Mike Rice (2007-08, 2008-09), and he joined his mentor and CCSU legend Howie Dickenman (2005-06, 2006-07) in that elite club.
The ABIS Black Coaches Watchlist will include collegiate and professional sports top Black men and women head and assistant coaches from across the country in multiple sports. This year's lists are recognized by their peers as some of the best in the business. Those nominated are considered to be the year's most deserving, qualified, and prepared Black coaches in college and professional sports to elevate their careers to the next level.
The ABIS Black Coaches Watchlist is shared annually with athletic administrators and executive search firms in an effort to highlight their contributions as the hiring cycle begins for different sports.