Compher stands behind Patton

Northern Illinois athletic director Jeff Compher said earlier today in a one-on-one interview with the Daily Chronicle that he is committed to men's basketball coach Ricardo Patton.

"He's our coach," Compher said. "We're committed to his success and the success of the team."

When asked if he could say if Patton would return for a fourth season in DeKalb, Compher said: "He is our coach and I'm committed to him and I see no reason why that wouldn't be the case."

Patton's Huskies are mired in a 10-game losing streak and have gone from first place in the Mid-American Conference after a school-record 4-0 start to 4-9 and 11th in the MAC. In almost three seasons at NIU, Patton's record stands at 24-60 and 12-32 in MAC play.

Patton said he believes he has the support of the administration at NIU.

"I think that the administration understands where the program was when we took over," Patton said. "We had to come in and lay a foundation and put some things in place. Unfortunately, it's taken more time than any of us wanted it to have taken.

"There are no quick fixes. There are no easy solutions when you're trying to do things the right way. We didn't come in with with a quick agenda to go out and sign a ton of junior college players and run the risk of those guys not graduating. So we're trying to do it the right way with young guys and have them grow and develop."

After this season, Patton has two years left on his initial five-year contract that calls for him to make $300,000 a year.