Trina Patterson begins her eighth season as head coach of the women's basketball program at the University at Albany and her 17th overall at the collegiate level. During Patterson's seven years at the helm, the UAlbany program has made significant strides and become more prominent in America East Conference play.

Last year, Patterson put together what turned out to arguably be the most competitive 31-game schedule the Great Danes have ever seen at the Division I level. The slate featured a program-record 11 contests against clubs which advanced to either the NCAA Tournament or Postseason Women's National Invitational Tournament.  After a slow start, the squad won three of its final six games to close out the winter. UAlbany defeated Maine by a convincing 63-43 margin in the first round of the America East Championship before suffering a 77-75 overtime loss to top-seeded Boston University in the quarterfinal round. Britney McGee and Janea Aiken set single-season school records for three-point field goals and points by a sophomore, respectively, while the squad set a team record for canning 152 shots from beyond the arc.

Patterson was named 2007-08 America East Conference Coach of the Year after guiding the Great Danes to a school-record 10 wins in conference play and a fourth-place finish in the standings despite being picked to finish eighth in the league's preseason coaches' poll. UAlbany defeated Binghamton in the quarterfinal round of the America East Tournament before taking a loss to eventual champion Hartford in the semifinals. Kristin Higy and Gia Sanders garnered all-conference honors while Janea Aiken was named to the all-rookie squad. It marked the first time in program history that three players earned all-conference recognition. In addition, Sanders, who was named to the all-defensive team for the second straight season, earned a spot on the league's all-academic team.

UAlbany established a program record with 14 victories at the Division I level during the 2004-05 season and finished 14-14 overall under Patterson's guidance. The Great Danes increased their win total in each of her first three seasons and most notably defeated Hartford in the quarterfinal round of the league tournament before losing to eventual champion Maine in the semifinals.

Known for her ability to develop post players, Patterson guided former center Danielle Hutcheson to consecutive all-conference first-team honors. Hutcheson, who finished her career as the program's leading rebounder, became the first UAlbany women's basketball player to receive that award.

During her first season at UAlbany, Patterson helped the Great Danes increase their win total from four games to nine. UAlbany also went from a winless conference season to registering three victories in 2002-03. Under Patterson's guidance, two UAlbany players were named to the all-conference second team for the first time in women's basketball history.

"Trina has a vision for the program on all levels, and her previous teams have demonstrated success on the playing court, in the classroom and in the community," said Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation Lee McElroy when Patterson became the ninth head coach of the program on May 6, 2002.

Prior to her arrival at UAlbany, Patterson served as the head basketball coach at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. for eight seasons from 1991-99. She took over a program that fought to establish an identity in the Colonial Athletic Association and had not experienced a winning season at the Division I level. By her third year, Patterson guided the team to a 20-8 record and a third-place finish in the conference standings. She was voted the 1993-94 CAA Coach of the Year, and the squad established single-season records in scoring average and assists. During the previous campaign, the Tribe advanced to the championship game of the 1992 CAA Tournament. Patterson, who mentored five all-conference players, remains the school's all-time winningest coach.

In 1999-2000, Patterson spent one year as the head coach at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Patterson, who began her career as a William & Mary assistant coach in 1988, has also served on the USA Women's Basketball Team coaching staff as an assistant for the R. William Jones Cup in Taipei, Taiwan, and Beijing, China, in 1998. The gold medal-winning squad's roster included current WNBA players Tamika Catchings, and Olympian and four-time WBCA/Kodak All-American, Olympian Becky Hammon and Tamika Whitmore. Patterson again joined the Team USA sidelines for the 2003 Pan American Games, and helped guide the squad to the silver medal game. Some of the members of the team included Nicole Powell, Barbara Turner, Rebekkah Brunson and Janel McCarville. Patterson worked with the post players, including Brunson, who went on to lead the team in scoring and rebounding during the international competition.

As a collegiate player at the University of Virginia, Patterson earned four varsity letters and was a member of four consecutive NCAA Tournament teams. The Cavaliers captured three Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season titles and won 20 or more games in each season of her career. As a team captain during her senior season, Patterson helped Virginia post a 26-5 record and reach the regional semifinals in the NCAA Tournament. The Cavaliers, coached by Debbie Ryan, a seven-time ACC Coach of the Year, ended the season ranked 10th by USA Today and 11th in the Associated Press polls.

Patterson was appointed by the NCAA to serve as an NCAA representative on the USA Basketball Women's Collegiate Committee for the 2005-08 term. The committee is charged with reviewing and making recommendations concerning USA Basketball's Women's Collegiate events, including the selection of players and coaches. She also played a major role in choosing the developmental college players for the United States National teams. Additionally, Patterson was one of five women's basketball coaches chosen by the U.S. Olympic Committee to participate in a coaches' conference, held in Colorado Springs in October 2003.

Patterson also completed an appointment as the America East Conference women's basketball coaches' chair. In that position, she was responsible for creating an agenda for the annual conference meeting as well as making recommendations for improvements.

A native of Newport News, Va., Patterson earned a bachelor's degree in rhetoric and communication studies from the University of Virginia in 1987. She completed a master's degree in human resource management from National University in 2002.

Patterson, who enjoys playing the acoustic guitar, is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She resides in North Greenbush, N.Y. with her husband Carl, a retired U.S. Marine Corps Master Sergeant, and their three sons C.J., 13, Matthew, 8, and Joshua, 2.