Patrick Doherty will enter his seventh season as Haverford College’s men’s basketball coach during the 2023-24 season. 

The 2022-23 season ended with the Fords just shy of a playoff berth for the second consecutive year. The team placed two members on the All-Centennial Conference Teams. Senior Nate Torres earned All-Centennial Conference Honorable Mention honors while senior Jackson Ryan was named to the All-Centennial Sportsmanship team. Four student-athletes were recognized on the CSC Academic All-District Team: Brandon Banadda, Charlie Mamlin, Nate Torres, and Ryan Trotter. Overall, the team finished 9-16 and 7-11 in conference play.

Men's Basketball has collected 29 wins in its last two seasons under Coach Doherty, helping to usher in a new era with a berth in the Centennial Conference semifinals during the 2019-20 season. Haverford concluded its 2021-22 campaign with a 13-12 overall record and a 9-9 mark in Centennial Conference play, narrowly missing a trip to the postseason.

During the  breakout 2019-20 season, the Fords third-place finish marked the team’s highest finish in the Centennial Conference standings while the 16 victories were the second most in school history (1976-77). That playoff appearance was the team’s first since the 2010-11 season.

Joe Scibelli ’19 and Jesse Turkson ’21 have both earned first-team All-Centennial Conference accolades under Doherty’s guidance. Scibelli garnered first-team all-conference honors after leading the league in both points and rebounds on his way to becoming the first player since 2012 to average a double-double in the Centennial Conference. Turkson ranked second in the conference in rebounding and seventh in scoring with a more balanced attack in 2019-20. Eleven different players scored 10 or more points in a game this past season while nine different Fords led the team in scoring throughout the season. That shared offense helped Haverford lead the Centennial Conference in assists with great ball movement during its playoff run.

Doherty was hired as the Haverford College men’s basketball coach on May 11, 2017. He came to Haverford after spending eight seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Lafayette College. Doherty had spent the last five years as the top assistant on Fran O’Hanlon’s squad, earning the promotion to associate head coach prior to the 2015-16 season.

“I am grateful and excited for the chance to work with talented student-athletes at one of the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the country, and I hope to lead a program that is a source of pride for all members of the Haverford community,” said Doherty at the time of his hiring.

“Patrick demonstrated enthusiasm for and a clear understanding of the division III student-athlete experience within an academically demanding institution. Coach Doherty’s experiences have prepared him well to support our student-athletes both on and off the court and to meet the challenges of establishing a competitively successful men’s basketball program that will reflect the values of Haverford College within the highly competitive Centennial Conference,” stated Director of Athletics Wendy Smith ’87 at the time of his hiring.

Working alongside the winningest coach in both Lafayette and Patriot League history, Doherty coached the Leopards to four appearances in the Patriot League Championship game, capped by winning the league title and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament during a historic 2014-15 season.

While in Easton, he helped guide 12 All-Patriot League Players, including five first-team all-league selections. Lafayette also had four players named to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team while eight of his players were named to Patriot League All-Tournament Team. Combining academic success with his work on the court, nine of his student-athletes earned academic all-league recognition, including multiple honorees in three of the last six seasons the award was presented.

Doherty began his college coaching career during the 2007-08 season as an assistant coach at The College of New Jersey. He also spent one year as an assistant at Williams College where he helped lead the Ephs to the conference semifinals with a 17-9 overall record and a 6-3 mark in the NESCAC. Doherty started his coaching career at Central Bucks East High School in Doylestown, Pa. as the head junior varsity coach and assistant varsity coach for two seasons.

Additionally, Doherty has worked with the Hoop Group as a coach and site facilitator and also served as a program director for PeacePlayers International in Northern Ireland. PeacePlayers is a non-profit organization that uses the game of basketball to unite and educate children and their communities in areas of the world that are historically characterized by strife. During his time in Northern Ireland, Doherty was a player/coach for Northstar Basketball Club.

Doherty graduated Summa Cum Laude from Lafayette in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and Spanish. He was selected as a Marquis Scholar – the College’s highest academic scholarship – and joined the basketball team as a walk-on player during the 2000-01 season. Doherty and his wife, Kristen, have two children, Maeve and Connor.