CHICAGO (July 12, 2024) – Aaliyah Patty, a veteran women's basketball standout with playing experience in the Southeastern, Big 12 and Big Ten conferences, will be the UIC women's basketball program's new Director of Player Personnel, head coach
Ashleen Bracey announced Friday.
"I am thrilled to add Aaliyah Patty to our coaching staff," Bracey said. "I had the opportunity to recruit Aaliyah during my time as an assistant coach at Mizzou. During that time, we established a relationship and stayed connected throughout her playing career at Ohio State and Texas A&M. Aaliyah is a passionate young coach who is just coming off a successful professional season in Greece. She is relatable, hardworking, and has a great feel for the game of basketball. Aaliyah will elevate our program both on and off the court. Standing at 6-3 and in great playing shape, she will be able to both play against and develop our young athletes. A Chicago native, she is very connected on the travel basketball circuit. Aaliyah is committed to the values of our program and helping us build UIC into a championship-caliber program."
Patty spent last season played professionally for Esperides in Kallithea Athens, Greece. The rookie averaged 18.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, while helping her team to a third-place finish in the Greek A1 League. She finished the season first in the league in blocks and led her team in three-point shooting, blocks and rebounds.
Prior to her professional stint, Patty completed the final two seasons of her collegiate career at Texas A&M during the program's transition from the Big 12 to the SEC. As a fifth-year senior in 2022-23, she solidified her starting role, averaging 8.4 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game. Patty also dominated the paint for the Aggies, swatting away a team-high 37 shots. Her career highs included 21 points against Vanderbilt and 19 rebounds versus Arkansas. The double-double machine dished out a career-high 11 assists against Georgia, becoming the only player in the country over 6 feet tall to record double-digit assists that season. In addition, Patty is a member of the program's 1,000-point club.
Before arriving in College Station, Texas, Patty spent three seasons at Ohio State. During her time with the Buckeyes, Patty averages 8.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, including a career-high 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in her final season in Columbus in 2020-21.
Patty is no stranger to the Chicagoland area, as she hails from West Chester, Illinois. She attended Montini Catholic High School, where she was deemed a four-star top-100 recruit by Prospects Nation. Averaging 15.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game as a senior in 2017-18, Patty helped lead the Broncos to a 34-win season and the state title game. That same year, Patty earned first-team all-state honors from the
Chicago Tribune and was named to the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Illinois Girls Basketball Team.
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