University of North Carolina Athletics
Men's Lacrosse
- Title:
- Chief Assistant Coach & Recruiting Coordinator
- Email:
- pmyers@uncaa.unc.edu
- Phone:
- 919-962-2890
Pat Myers, one of the brightest young minds in collegiate lacrosse coaching, is now in his fifth year as the head assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the lacrosse program at North Carolina. Myers has done an outstanding job in his first four years as Tar Heel head coach Joe Breschi's top assistant.
In addition to possessing a stellar offensive mind, Myers is considered the nation's top recruiting coordinator. Over the past three years, Myers spearheaded recruiting efforts that brought in the nation's No. 1-ranked recruiting class in 2010, the No. 2-ranked recruiting class in 2011 and the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in 2012 based on rankings by Inside Lacrosse Magazine.
Under the direction of Myers, Carolina's offense took a quantum leap in 2012. The Tar Heels averaged 12.18 goals per game, an improvement of nearly two goals a game over the 2011 total. Attackman Marcus Holman had one of the great seasons in UNC history with 39 goals and 35 assists. Three Tar Heel freshmen - Jimmy Bitter, Joey Sankey and Chad Tutton - combined for 69 goals and 42 assists. All three made the All-ACC Tournament Team, the first time three first-year players had ever made the team in the same year.
As the team's offensive coordinator, Myers saw the Tar Heels score a robust 11.56 goals per game in 2010 with a team concept that produced assists on 65.4 percent of UNC goals. Myers also coached an extra-man offense unit that led the nation at 55.1 percent, scoring on 27 of 49 opportunities. That was the second best EMO percentage in school history. He helped the Tar Heels post 13 wins, equaling the fourth highest victory total in Tar Heel lore and the most in 17 seasons. His offense featured ACC Player of the Year Billy Bitter (UNC's first since 1996) and ACC Freshman of the Year Marcus Holman (UNC's first since 1998). Bitter also made first-team All-America for the second straight year. In 2011, Myers helped coach a second successive ACC Rookie of the Year as two Tar Heel attackmen made All-America
In his initial season in 2009, Myers was a key part of the reason the Tar Heels reached a 12-win total, won an ACC Tournament game for the first time in 13 years and came within a single goal of making the NCAA Final Four for the first time in 16 years. Myers led an offense that scored 12.47 goals per game, the third highest scoring average in the nation. UNC ranked second in assists per game at 7.72 and first-team All-America attackman Billy Bitter was the nation's fourth-ranked point producer at 3.94 per contest.
Myers had been the offensive coordinator and head assistant coach at Bucknell for three seasons when he was tapped for the same posts at North Carolina in August 2008.
Myers came to Chapel Hill after completing assistant coaching stints at three schools - Bucknell, Cornell and his alma mater, Ohio State. Myers was a standout lacrosse player at OSU from 2000-03 and was recruited to be a Buckeye by Breschi during his head coaching tenure there.
Myers earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sport and Leisure Studies in June 2003 with a specialization in coaching and leisure management. He was a four-year Dean's List student at Ohio State and was named an Ohio State Scholar-Athlete. He was named to the Academic All-Big Ten honor squad three successive years from 2001-03.
A native of Maine, Myers was the volunteer assistant coach under Breschi at Ohio State in 2004, an assistant coach at Cornell University in 2005 and the offensive coordinator at Bucknell from 2006-08. At Bucknell, he was also the head assistant coach, the recruiting coordinator, the strength and conditioning supervisor and the academic monitor on the Bison staff.
In 2008, Bucknell matched its highest USILA ranking in school history at No. 9. The Bison finished 10-5 overall and 4-2 in the Patriot League while also reaching the championship game of the conference tournament. In 2007, Bucknell finished 11-4 and achieved a ranking of 11th nationally. In his first year on the Bucknell staff in 2006, Myers helped lead the Bison to an upset of top-ranked Maryland, the first-ever win in Bucknell history over a No. 1-ranked team. Myers coordinated an offense at Bucknell that produced back-to-back Patriot League Rookies of the Year - Joe Mele and Austin Winter - and also aided Winter in winning All-America accolades in 2008.
Prior to his stint in Lewisburg, Pa., Myers was an assistant coach at Cornell in 2005 when the Big Red went 11-3 overall and 6-0 in the Ivy League. The Big Red reached the NCAA quarterfinals that season and had its highest regular-season ranking in 18 years when Cornell reached No. 3 in the nation. The 2005 squad was also the first Big Red team to go undefeated in the Ivy League since 1987. Myers assisted in coordinating an offense that averaged 12.08 goals per game, ranking No. 3 in the nation in scoring offense.
After playing at Ohio State, Myers spent a season on the staff there as the volunteer assistant coach. The Buckeyes went 12-4 that season, achieved a record of 5-0 in the Great Western Lacrosse League while winning the league title, earned an NCAA Tournament invitation for the first time in history and achieved the highest ranking in Buckeye lacrosse lore at No. 6.
Myers played collegiately at OSU from 2000-03. He was the GWLL's Rookie of the Year in 2000 and a two-time All-GWLL selection in 2002 and 2003. He played in the USILA North-South All-Star Game at the conclusion of the 2003 campaign. In 2005, Myers was one of 120 players selected to try out for Team USA that competed at the 2006 World Games.
The Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse selected Myers in the supplemental draft in 2004. He played four seasons for the Cannons from 2004-2007.
In August 2010, Myers married Lauren Bricker. Lauren teaches middle school science at Lucas Middle School in Durham. She completed her master's degree from North Carolina State University in special education in December 2011. Lauren is a 2007 graduate of Bucknell where she competed in track and cross country.
The Myers family celebrated the birth of their first child when Ava Elizabeth Myers was born on December 21, 2011.
