Medomak Valley head coach Nick DePatsy achieved a rare feat last Thursday when his Panthers beat the Morse Shipbuilders 64-35 on the road.
The victory locked down DePatsy’s 400th career win as a high school boys basketball coach.
The Waldoboro native has been coaching since he was a student at the University of Maine Farmington in the 1980s, and has since held positions at Madison, Georges Valley, Lincoln Academy and most recently Medomak Valley, across his 32-year head coaching career.
At Medomak, DePatsy has accrued a 242-80 record since 2007, been named Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Coach of the Year 13 times and led the Panthers to five conference championships, in addition to two Class B regional titles.
DePatsy became the 31st Maine high school basketball coach to ever eclipse the 400-win mark. He has led the Panthers to double-digit wins every year since his hire, and the team is already 6-1 so far this season.
To celebrate his latest achievement, the Panthers mobbed DePatsy in the locker room and doused him with water after the game.
“I didn’t tell the kids about the 400 wins, but they made it into quite a circus — it was fun,” DePatsy said. “You’re only as good as your talent and the support [you get], and fortunately I’ve got some good people around me.”
In addition to benefiting from the dedication from athletes, assistant coaches, family members and fans over the years, coach DePatsy credits this new milestone to his passion for teaching and strong defensive philosophies.
DePatsy has taught physical or alternative education for 28 years — currently at Lincolnville Central — and has maintained a top three defense in the KVAC every year of his tenure at Medomak.
“I enjoy teaching — it doesn’t matter if it’s in the classroom or on the basketball court,” DePatsy said. “I have learned a great deal from former and present players, especially on how to reach different kids and bring the best out of them.”
“In order to be successful as a program you must establish a strong defensive philosophy and make every game important,” he added. “It all starts in practice — I enjoy practices more than anything.”
