When Boston Celtics legend and NBA Hall of Famer Larry Bird agreed to become the head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 1997, he stated that he would be on the job for no more than three years. After leading the Pacers to a franchise-record 58 wins and within one win of the NBA Finals in his first season on the bench, Bird was named NBA Coach of the Year. Following a pair of division titles and an NBA Finals appearance in 2000, Bird held firm to his word and stepped down as head coach after three record-breaking seasons in 'The Hoosier State.'

In the fall of 2022, former Johnson & Wales University women's lacrosse standout Maria Patane '20 made a similar choice. Following the resignation of Jenn Thomas – who coached Patane as an undergrad – JWU Director of Athletics Dana Garfield reached out to gauge Patane's interest in the position. "Maria was both an outstanding student-athlete for our women's lacrosse program and a member of the coaching staff. She had developed strong relationships with the student-athletes and was valued by the former coaching staff," said Garfield.

In the midst of a budding career at Cresco Labs, Patane initially declined the offer to as she was happy in her role as a volunteer assistant. Weeks went by without an announcement of Thomas' successor, and Patane began to grow worried about the direction of the program.
 

"With each passing day the program did not have a coach, I thought to myself, 'If you want the program to maintain its culture and if you want to make an impact on a program which you proudly represented for four years, this is your opportunity," said Patane. "If JWU women's lacrosse has taught me anything, it's that the impact it can make is life-changing. I wanted the current student-athletes to receive the same life-changing experience that I did. I wanted to do it for the program and the University, as well as the alumni, the student-athletes and their families, and for myself. If you have the bandwidth to make an impact, do it. And I couldn't sleep at night knowing they may not have the same opportunity that I did."

Following a three-year playing career which left her ranked amongst the program's greats in goals (166), assists (101), and points (267), Patane's playing career came to a screeching halt in the spring of 2020 when COVID-19 wiped out the entire spring sports season for student-athletes across the country. The chance to win a fourth-straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship had been ripped from her hands.

"The toughest part of losing my senior season is that it remains an untold story," said Patane. "When COVID hit, I knew mentally that my collegiate playing career was over, and that was tough to accept. Financially, I knew that I needed to start working immediately. Our assistant coach, Casey Blakeney, was working part-time at UPS as a human resources assistant, and she explained that they needed help hiring because there were seven million more packages coming through. Staying in Providence and being close to JWU helped me get through the tough times. I knew JWU was not going anywhere and that my time there was not finished. I always hoped that it would pop back into my life."

Growing up as a three-sport athlete in soccer, basketball, and lacrosse one hour north of Albany, N.Y. in the small town of Greenwich – a town of less than 2,000 people – Patane was recruited to the relatively new women's lacrosse program at JWU by its inaugural head coach, Caitlin Hansen. "Coach Hansen saw potential in me. She made me feel as if I could play lacrosse at the next level if I wanted to," explained Patane. "I spoke with her a few times and then visited campus. I absolutely fell in love with the school, the community and the culture of the team."

Patane described herself as a 'big fish in a small pond' playing lacrosse in Greenwich. When she arrived at JWU, she was unprepared for the large changes which lay ahead of her. "Coming from a very rural, small community in upstate New York, JWU was a big culture shock for me. I came into a team with a very strong culture, which was something I had to adapt to while also trying to get on the field. I was also being coached by someone with more knowledge and experience about lacrosse than anyone I'd ever played for. When I had a hard day, I had to remind myself that if coach Hansen believes in me, I need to believe in myself. I knew that the only way I was going to see progression in my game is if I worked at it every day."
 

Patane pushed through the mental hurdles and found her way onto the field in all 21 contests that spring, collecting 51 points on 31 goals and 20 assists. The fourth year of women's lacrosse competition at JWU culminated with a 19-5 win over Simmons in the GNAC Championship, a game in which Patane racked up nine points (5-4-9). "Coach Hansen found different strengths in her players, and for me, behind X on the left side was a good spot for me," explained Patane. "Assisting and rolling around the crease was where she told me I would find my niche. Ultimately, I found my groove and we were able to win a championship. It was really special to me because I know how hard the upperclassmen wanted to win, especially after losing in the championship game the previous season."

Prior to the start of the 2018 campaign, Hansen accepted the head coaching position at Saint Leo University in Florida and was replaced by Thomas. "We were this young team that thought we would have the same coach forever, and now we had someone coming in who had a completely different outlook on the way things worked," said Patane. "Jenn had to give a lot to get a lot, but she excelled with it. She knew that she was coming into a championship team. As players, we decided that just because the program was undergoing changes did not mean the end result needed to change."

Over the next two seasons, the Wildcats posted a combined record of 34-8 – including a perfect 21-0 mark in conference play – and secured two more GNAC Championships. Patane racked up 99 points as a sophomore (67-32-99) before reaching the 100-point mark the following season (58-44-102). "The chemistry that we were able to build within the team was predominantly because of our experience transitioning coaches," said Patane. "We wanted to hold onto our original culture. We worked through a lot of nooks and crannies to keep it, but our group was all on the same page. We wanted to work hard and win, and we held ourselves accountable."

Now, nearly four years later, Patane was being given the keys to the convertible. She was determined to build upon the foundation laid not only by Hansen and Thomas, but former teammates Lydia Knapp, Dani Lydecker, Allison Pazienski, and Rocky Pederzani. After opening the 2023 campaign with losses in two of their first three contests, the Wildcats ripped off a 15-game win streak – the final three coming in the GNAC playoffs – to bring home the fifth conference title in the nine-year history of the program.

"Winning that championship…it felt like my book finally closed," remarked Patane. "The last chapter of my lacrosse career was written, and it was special because it's was not like everyone else's. Not only did I get to experience winning as a player, but also as a coach with some student-athletes I once played with. The impact that it made on the program, myself and my family, and the student-athletes and their families was life-changing. I can't express enough now much closure last season gave me."

When asked which was better, winning as a student-athlete or a coach, Patane answered, "It was a great feeling (winning as a coach), but a completely different one. The three championships I won as an undergrad were because of work that was put in by a player. For the fourth one, I was putting in the work as a coach. When I was a player, winning was like, 'We did it!' As a coach, it was 'They did it!' To see the team succeed and be so proud of themselves and proud of each other, it was so much different than I ever felt as a player."
 

The 2024 edition of the JWU women's lacrosse program will have a completely new look to it as former University of Findley assistant coach Olivia Duarte has taken over the head coaching duties on a full-time basis. "I wanted the program to have someone who had the experience and the qualifications and the knowledge to keep it strong," explained Patane who, like 'Larry Legend,' stayed true to her initial commitment and declined the opportunity to coach past her initial agreement.
"Working two-full jobs last year was a challenge, but it allowed me to understand my career path. It's very comforting to know the student-athletes are in good hands with Olivia."

Having finally made peace with her lacrosse career at JWU, Patane remains busy in her role overseeing three operational cannabis sites in Massachusetts for Cresco, which is based out of Chicago and operates out of 15 states. "I am someone that needs to run around constantly," said Patane. "I love having my hands in a lot of different projects."

Patane credits Jenn Thomas with helping her find closure on a career which will one day land her in the JWU Athletics Hall of Fame. "I will always be thankful to Jenn because she reached out and asked me to help her coach. I was able to ease myself back in by coming to practice once or twice a week, and that made me realize that I was still so in love with the sport. I was and am so appreciative of what the program has done for me."

Garfield summed up Patane's tenure by stating, "Quite simply, we were very lucky to have her agree to such an undertaking, given her professional and personal commitments. Although she had no interest in taking over the program full-time, she gave 100 percent to the team and student-athletes during the 2023 season and led them to another GNAC Championship and NCAA Regional appearance. She is truly a Wildcat for Life!"