HBCU ladies’s basketball is getting a strong new pairing. When new Prairie View A&M head coach Tai Dillard wanted somebody to assist form the way forward for her program, she didn’t need to look far. She reached again to a trusted former participant. One who embodies toughness, management, and the sort of drive Dillard desires to instill at PVAMU. Enter Bria Patterson, who will be a part of the Woman Panthers because the Director of Basketball Operations for the 2025–26 season.
This transfer isn’t only a rent—it’s a full-circle second.
Dillard, a Texas basketball legend in her personal proper, spent almost a decade on the College of Houston constructing one of many American Athletic Convention’s best squads. Whereas serving because the Cougars’ affiliate head coach and recruiting coordinator, she scouted and mentored standout gamers. Together with a gritty guard from DeSoto Excessive College named Bria Patterson.
Now, Dillard and Patterson are teaming up once more in ladies’s basketball—this time at one of many Southwestern Athletic Convention’s (SWAC) most tradition-rich HBCU establishments.
“Bria was the sort of participant each coach desires—disciplined, fearless, and coachable,” Dillard stated. “To now deliver her into the operations aspect of the sport is particular. She is aware of what I count on, and extra importantly, she is aware of tips on how to join with the student-athletes we’re constructing round.”
From Courtroom Basic to Behind-the-Scenes Chief
Patterson, who starred at Houston from 2019 to 2023, was identified for doing the soiled work. She made 29 begins in her senior yr and set a college document for many minutes in a single recreation. Logging 54 in a triple-overtime traditional in opposition to East Carolina. She routinely ranked among the many group’s leaders in rebounds, steals, and defensive stops, typically guarding the opposing group’s greatest perimeter scorer.
Whereas her field rating stats have been spectacular—almost 300 factors and 66 steals her senior yr—her true worth got here in her intangibles. Patterson led by instance, grinded by way of adversity, and by no means backed down from a problem. All of that can now carry over to her position at Prairie View A&M.
The Director of Basketball Operations gig is extra than simply logistics. It’s about setting a tradition. Patterson will coordinate group journey, handle schedules, oversee day-to-day program operations, and function a liaison between coaches and gamers.
For somebody who lived the student-athlete grind beneath Dillard’s demanding model, it’s a job tailored for her.
“Bria’s voice issues as a result of she’s walked the stroll,” Dillard stated. “She’ll be an amazing mentor for our younger ladies as a result of she is aware of what it takes to reach this technique.”
Coach Dillard’s Texas Roots Run Deep
The hiring of Patterson additionally alerts one thing deeper: Tai Dillard is constructing her program with loyalty and belief.
A San Antonio native and former WNBA participant, Dillard is among the most revered basketball minds in Texas. She performed for legendary coach Jody Conradt on the College of Texas, the place she helped lead the group to a Last 4 look in 2003. She later performed for the San Antonio Silver Stars and the Houston Comets (now referred to as the Houston Stealth). Her teaching stops embrace stints at Ole Miss, USC, UTSA, and, most not too long ago, the College of Houston, the place she turned probably the most revered recruiters within the nation.
At Houston, she helped information the Cougars to a number of WNIT appearances and mentored record-setting guard Laila Blair. Dillard was additionally chosen for the NCAA Champion Discussion board, a premier management growth program for rising head coaches.
Now at Prairie View A&M, she’s not simply making an attempt to win video games. She’s making an attempt to construct an HBCU program with endurance—and that begins with bringing in individuals who share her imaginative and prescient.
Constructing the PVAMU Blueprint
In Patterson, Dillard has somebody who is aware of the system, understands the requirements, and may also help bridge the hole between previous success and future dominance.
Patterson’s journey from a three-time First Staff All-District choice at DeSoto Excessive to key contributor at Houston—and now to Prairie View A&M’s operations group—embodies the values of grit and progress.
“I’m excited to be a part of one thing larger than myself,” Patterson stated. “Coach Dillard modified my life as a participant. Now, I get to assist her change lives at Prairie View.”
With Tai Dillard steering the ship and Bria Patterson serving to run the engine room, HBCU ladies’s basketball simply obtained a severe improve.
