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Pat Cleary

Pat Cleary

8th Season
Edinboro ’99


For 14 years, Pat Cleary sat at the right side of Edinboro head men's basketball coach Greg Walcavich. On March 26, 2013, Cleary moved over a seat as he was officially introduced as Edinboro’s tenth head coach after Walcavich announced his retirement. He now enters his sixth season as head coach and shows a 65-69 career ledger. 

“We feel confident that Pat is the right man for the job,” related then Director of Athletics Bruce Baumgartner at the time of his hiring.  “We put quite a bit of time in talking to people about what our next move should be, and it kept coming back to Pat.  He had an opportunity to learn from one of the best coaches in the country, and Greg (Walcavich) was adamant about Pat's ability to keep this program moving forward.”  Baumgartner noted that Walcavich credited his assistant for many of the top recruits that joined the Fighting Scots in recent years. 

“I am honored to be chosen to follow a legend,” Cleary stated.  “Coach Walcavich has taught me so much and I have been very fortunate to work with him for so long, I wish I could work with him another 14 years.  

6648 “I love Edinboro University,” he continued.  “It is a special place that has prepared me for this challenge. I'm very thankful for the support I've received from the people around campus and in the community, and I will work myself to the limit to make Coach Walcavich, (Edinboro University President Julie E. Wollman) and the entire Edinboro Community remain proud of Edinboro basketball.”

Cleary comes off the finest season of his tenure, as Edinboro finished with an 18-11 record, with six of the losses coming by six points or less. The Fighting Scots posted a 13-9 record in PSAC West action to capture fourth place in the division after being picked to finish eighth in the PSAC Coaches’ Preseason Poll. For his efforts, Cleary was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year.

During the regular season, Edinboro upset eighth-ranked Shippensburg, 88-86, part of a 9-2 start that included four and five-game winning streaks. The Fighting Scots hosted Pitt-Johnstown in the first round of the PSAC Tournament and prevailed, 77-67. In the quarterfinals, Edinboro upset Indiana(Pa.), the top seed in the Western Division, by a 79-63 score. The Fighting Scots endured a memorable, blizzard-delayed trip to East Stroudsburg in the Final Four and fell to the host Warriors, 98-75.

Edinboro relied on the talents of three All-PSAC West performers. Senior forward Keshawn Liggins and senior guard Jaymon Mason earned first team All-PSAC West honors, while Anthony Coleman, a junior guard, was a second team selection. Liggins was also a Division II Bulletin honorable mention All-American selection. The three players combined for over 55 points per game.

Mason concluded a brilliant career in which he was an All-American, a three-time All-PSAC selection, and broke his father’s career record for scoring with 2,005 points.       

Cleary saw his record improve in each of his first three seasons, with the Fighting Scots qualifying for the PSAC Tournament the last two years of that span.

Unfortunately, his 2016-17 squad was ravaged by injuries, with no fewer than three starters suffering season-ending injuries. He was forced to play with an eight-man roster for numerous games in the second half of the season.

When it was all said and done, the Fighting Scots finished at 8-18 overall and 6-16 in the PSAC West. That negated an outstanding season by Mason, who was an All-American and a first team All-PSAC West selection. 

In 2015-16, the Fighting Scots posted a 15-11 record finished third in the PSAC West with a 14-8 ledger while riding the talented backcourt of Henri Wade-Chatman and Mason. Edinboro would fall to Clarion, 83-69, in the first round of the PSAC Championships. Among the victories in 2015-16 was a 77-67 win at Mercyhurst. The Lakers would later reach the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional championship game.
 
Wade-Chatman and Mason were both accorded honorable mention Division II Bulletin All-American honors. Both were also named All-PSAC West first team honorees, marking the second straight year for Wade-Chatman. Tommy Scales was a second team All-PSAC West pick. Mason was a first team NABC All-Atlantic Region selection.
 
Cleary’s first season ended with a 10-16 record, as the Fighting Scots suffered a number of close losses, including two overtime losses and two defeats at the buzzer. All told, they lost five games by five points or less. Edinboro lost three games to nationally-ranked teams,
 
The season started off with three straight victories, beginning with a 66-48 win over Thiel on November 11 in Cleary’s debut as head coach. After that, however, Edinboro would win back-to-back games just one more time. Those wins over Cheyney and Shippensburg in early January were followed by four straight losses and defeats in 10 of 12 games. Edinboro would end the season on a positive note with a 98-90 victory over Clarion.
 
Season number two saw the Fighting Scots make the PSAC playoffs as the number five seed after being picked to finish eighth in the PSAC coaches’ poll. Edinboro ended the year with a 14-13 record, falling at Slippery Rock, 64-60, in the first round of the PSAC Playoffs.

Among the victories was a 79-77 overtime upset of 16th-ranked Indiana(Pa.). The Crimson Hawks would go on to win the Atlantic Regional and reach the NCAA Division II national championship game.

Wade-Chatman earned first team All-PSAC West accolades and Mason was selected the PSAC West Freshman of the Year.

Cleary was hired as an assistant coach in the fall of 1999.  He served as a student assistant from 1997-99, helping the Fighting Scots reach the PSAC Playoffs both years, along with an NCAA Division II Playoff berth in 1997-98.
 
Then came back-to-back PSAC championships and three trips to the NCAA Playoffs in four years.  All told, Edinboro won 20-or-more games five times in his 14 seasons as Walcavich's assistant, and the Fighting Scots had an overall record of 229-139.  In addition, he has helped bring in four All-Americans and 16 All-PSAC performers.  Six players have moved on to play professionally.

Cleary attended Sharon High School where he played basketball for the Tigers.  He completed work on his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1999.  In addition to his basketball duties he has been the co-director of the Athletic Department Study Program.  He was presented the Outstanding Supervisor Award for Peer Tutoring by Edinboro University in 2005 and '06.  Cleary and volunteer assistant coach Terry Thompson served as co-directors of the Achieve Your Dreams Program.

Cleary was married on July 1, 2017 to the former Anne Carlson, Edinboro's Track and Field Coach/Director of Cross Country Operations. The couple resides in Edinboro, along with a residence in Sharpsville, PA, as well.  They are the proud parents of a baby girl, Brynn Elizabeth, born October 25, 2018. An active member of the Sons of the American Legion, he is the former chaplain for Post 162 in Sharpsville. 



 
Year Record PSAC Postseason
2013-14 10-16 3-13, 8th
2014-15 14-13 11-11, 5th PSAC Tournament
2015-16 15-11 14-8, 3rd PSAC Tournament
2016-17 8-18 6-16, 8th
2017-18 18-11 13-9, 4th PSAC Tournament
2018-19 9-17 7-15, 7th
2019-20 6-20 3-19, 8th
Career 80-106 57-91