Derry grad Logan Patterson embarks on 1st season as college head coach for Mount Aloysius men's volleyball

Logan Patterson said coaching seemed to come naturally to him. Even as an older player during his days with the Derry and St. Francis (Pa.) volleyball teams, he said he always was trying to bring along the younger players.

Patterson since has had several opportunities to do that in the coaching ranks: as an assistant — volunteer and paid — at his high school and at the club and college level. Now, for the first time, he is in charge of his own team.

In September, Patterson was hired to coach the fledgling men’s volleyball program at Mount Aloyisus. The Mounties are in just their second season and went winless in their debut.

Patterson replaces Ben Guiliano, who, after guiding the team through its inaugural season, returned to Keuka College to coach the men’s golf team. He previously coached men’s and women’s volleyball there.

“It (coaching) always has kind of been a part of what I did, and people around me thought I would make a good coach,” Patterson said. “I always liked making others around me better.”

Patterson had a stellar career as a player. After starring at Derry, he went on to be an All-Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association first-teamer for the Red Flash. He ranks fifth all-time at St. Francis in kills (1,088) and aces (84).

He got his first taste of collegiate coaching last spring when he served as an assistant for the Saint Vincent men’s team under coach Kate McCauley.

McCauley and Patterson had been acquainted through the local volleyball community and coached together at Gateway. He said his stint with the Bearcats helped to prepare him for having his own program.

“I think I just learned about how a program operates, what kind of time and effort has to get put in to have a successful college program,” he said. “I got a little bit of experience with them, so I wasn’t coming in trying to do my own thing too cold.”

Patterson will get to test his team against his former boss twice: Feb. 21 in Cresson and April 5 in Unity. Saint Vincent also is continuing to develop its men’s program, with 2023 being just its fourth season.

McCauley said she believes Patterson will do well.

“When he told me he was applying and getting interviewed, I was excited for him to start the next chapter in his life as a head coach,” McCauley said. “We worked well together because I saw the big picture, and he saw the little things that needed fixed in all situations.

“Logan knows the game of volleyball inside and out and will be able to teach the game and further the knowledge of the guys he brings into Mount Aloysius.”

Mike Rumbaugh, longtime coach at St. Francis, agreed.

“I think he can do very well at ‘The Mount,’ ” said Rumbaugh, in his 25th season with the Red Flash. “He will be a players’ coach. The young men will love to have someone who can demo what ‘good’ looks like in the gym.

“Logan has always seen the game with a sense of what will happen next. He was good at being able to anticipate what would happen as the game developed. Knowing how to manage the game within the game is a major part of coaching, and he will excel at this part of coaching.”

But before Patterson can do any of that, he needs to get the proverbial house in order.

NCAA Division III teams are tightly restricted in terms of on-court work coaches can do with players out of season. That means Patterson has spent the vast majority of his first couple of months on the job doing the grunt work needed to maintain a program.

He said he knows these are the necessary evils of the job. Still, it has been a source of some frustration for the eager young coach.

“Honestly (the hardest thing) for me, it’s the lack of coaching I get to do,” he said. “You really only get one four-week period of practicing with the guys, which is the part of the job I love: being in the gym, coaching, seeing players develop.

“The hardest part for me was just being all right with just sitting in my office sending recruiting emails, taking care of the kind of logistics and administrative operations of running a program. A lot of extra things show up on your plate.”

Activity is beginning to ramp up now, however, as the Mounties prepare for their season opener Jan. 19 at home against Wilson.

Because the program was new last season, the roster remains young: all freshmen and sophomores. In the brief time he has had to spend with the players, Patterson said he likes their attitude and sees potential.

“The guys want to succeed,” he said. “They’re driven. We’ve got a lot of offensive potential, but anybody who knows volleyball knows passing and ball control are what sets the tone and what makes your offensive team able to go.”

Patterson’s plan, of course, is to slowly bring in the players of his choosing who fit a style he wants to play. At the same time, he isn’t going to try to force the current group to conform to a set style. Rather, he will adjust his system to the players he has available.

Patterson is realistic, though, and understands he might not be able to land every player he wants and, consequently, might not always be able to play a certain way. But scheme, he said, is less important than talent.

“At this level, it’s not so much about style,” he said, “it’s just trying to get the most talented kids on the court. I’m more looking to bring in athletes who will grow a culture of dedication to the game.”

That will take some time, and Patterson is willing to be patient. For now, he will be focused on laying the groundwork for future success.

“I really just want to see my guys buy in and give 100%,” he said. “I want to grab some wins … make the guys a little more optimistic about the future. Really, I just want to see that culture flip and really become a program where guys are dedicated to the sport.”