# Patrick Zipfel > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Patrick_Zipfel > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Patrick_Zipfel.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Zipfel > Source revision: 1295769450 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American basketball coach}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}} '''Patrick Zipfel''' (born October 15, 1967) is an American [basketball](/source/basketball) [coach](/source/coach_(sport)) and former college [athletics director](/source/athletics_director). He is currently the [advance scout](/source/NBA_scout) for the [Philadelphia 76ers](/source/Philadelphia_76ers) of the [National Basketball Association (NBA)](/source/National_Basketball_Association). Prior to joining the Sixers in 2023, the Philadelphia native was a member of the Phoenix Suns coaching staff, led by Monty Williams, that earned the Western Conference Championship title and NBA Finals run in 2021. Throughout his career, Zipfel has worked as assistant coach/advance scout for the [Chicago Bulls](/source/Chicago_Bulls)(NBA), [Minnesota Timberwolves](/source/Minnesota_Timberwolves), and [Phoenix Suns](/source/Phoenix_Suns), while also serving as an assistant coach for the [Portland Trail Blazers](/source/Portland_Trail_Blazers) and [Houston Rockets](/source/Houston_Rockets). In October 2015, Zipfel accepted the head coach position at Mansfield University, located in Mansfield, Pennsylvania to help restore the program before returning to the NBA in 2018. {{cite web|publisher=[Minnesota Timberwolves](/source/Minnesota_Timberwolves)|url=http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/basketball_coaching_staffs_announcement_111207.html|title=Wolves Announce Basketball and Coaching Staffs|date=6 December 2011}} ==Early years== Zipfel earned a [bachelor's degree](/source/bachelor's_degree) from [Cabrini College](/source/Cabrini_College) in English/communications in 1989.[http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/05/catching_up_with_former_centen.html Catching Up With: Former Centenary College Men's Basketball Coach Pat Zipfel – Lehigh Valley Express-Times] ==Coaching career== Zipfel was an assistant men's basketball coach at [NCAA Division I](/source/NCAA_Division_I) [The Citadel](/source/The_Citadel%2C_The_Military_College_of_South_Carolina) from 1989 to 1992. He was awarded his first head coaching job at [Bucks County Community College](/source/Bucks_County_Community_College) in 1993. In 1994, Zipfel moved on to [Centenary College of New Jersey](/source/Centenary_College_of_New_Jersey), where he served as their director of athletics and head men's basketball coach."Zipfel is set for a homecoming". ''Intelligencer Journal''. February 6, 1996. C4. Accessed through ProQuest."Transactions". ''Salt Lake Tribune''. May 11, 1994. D5. He worked for the NBA's [Los Angeles Clippers](/source/Los_Angeles_Clippers) as an advance scout, responsible for scouting the Clippers' upcoming opponents and preparing game plans for coaches and players.[http://hawkshoops.blogs.starnewsonline.com/11466/uncw-related-links-zipfel-an-interesting-possibility/ Zipfel an Interesting Possibility – Wilmington Star News] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425133358/http://hawkshoops.blogs.starnewsonline.com/11466/uncw-related-links-zipfel-an-interesting-possibility/ |date=2012-04-25 }} Zipfel spent the 2003–04 season as head coach of the [New Jersey Squires](/source/Jersey_Squires) of the [American Basketball Association](/source/American_Basketball_Association), leading the Squires into the quarterfinals, where they were defeated by the [Kansas City Knights](/source/Kansas_City_Knights).{{cite news| url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/blazers/2004/09/trail_blazers_set_scouting_sta.html | work=The Oregonian | title=Trail Blazers set scouting staff | date=24 September 2004}} From 2004 to 2007, he was an advance scout for the NBA's [Portland Trail Blazers](/source/Portland_Trail_Blazers). From 2007 to 2011, Zipfel was an assistant coach and advance scout for the NBA's Houston Rockets.[http://cache.nba.com/media/rockets/MediaGuide_pg11-20.pdf Houston Rockets 2010-11 media guide] Houston General Manager [Daryl Morey](/source/Daryl_Morey) said Zipfel was a "secret weapon" in the Rockets' first-round playoff series victory in 2009, their first playoff series win in more than a decade. "We felt like we were a little tick ahead because we had Pat Zipfel on the bench," said Morey.[http://sportsradiointerviews.com/2009/05/04/daryl-morey-on-getting-past-portland-and-his-secret-weapon/ Interview with Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey (transcript) - 610 Sports Radio] Zipfel spent the summer of 2011 serving as the advance scout for the [Ukraine National Team](/source/Ukraine_national_basketball_team) under head coach [Mike Fratello](/source/Mike_Fratello). On December 6, 2011, he was hired by the [Minnesota Timberwolves](/source/Minnesota_Timberwolves) as an assistant coach and advance scout. In Summer of 2012 Zipfel served as the [Dominican Republic national basketball team](/source/Dominican_Republic_national_basketball_team) advance scout under head coach [John Calipari](/source/John_Calipari) for this country's Olympic entrant for Men's Basketball. The team won a gold medal in Centro Basket, and lost in the pre-Olympic Qualifying tournament. Zipfel has been called "one of the sharpest strategic minds in the NBA." ESPN.com says Zipfel's NBA peers rate him "one of the league's best" advanced scouts.[https://www.espn.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/4283/the-life-of-an-advance-scout The Life of an Advance Scout – ESPN.com] He currently serves on the NBA Coaches Association technology committee. == References == {{Reflist}} https://www.nba.com/suns/directory/staff# {{DEFAULTSORT:Zipfel, Patrick}} Category:1967 births Category:American Basketball Association (2000–present) coaches Category:American men's basketball coaches Category:Cabrini University alumni Category:College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Category:Centenary Cyclones athletic directors Category:The Citadel Bulldogs basketball coaches Category:Houston Rockets assistant coaches Category:Junior college men's basketball coaches in the United States Category:Los Angeles Clippers assistant coaches Category:Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coaches Category:Portland Trail Blazers assistant coaches Category:Living people --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Patrick Zipfel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Zipfel) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Zipfel?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.