Following a short time without an assistant by his side, Seward County Head Coach Bryan Zollinger has filled that void as he named former Independence Head Coach Patrick Nee as his new Assistant Coach for the 2013-14 season.

Nee will join the Saints bench in 2013-2014 after spending the past four seasons as the Head Coach at fellow Jayhawk Conference member Independence. Nee led the Pirates to a 77-50 overall record in his four seasons at the helm while Indy recorded a 48-24 conference record and never finished lower than third place in the Jayhawk East. Last season, the Pirates finished 17-15 overall and tied for third place in the Jayhawk East before seeing their season come to an end in the Greenhouse with a loss to the Saints in the Region VI Quarterfinals.

In his four seasons at Independence, Nee coached a Jayhawk East Most Valuable Player, a Freshman of the Year, three 1st Team All-Conference selections and a pair of 2nd Team All-League picks. He has moved nine players onto NCAA Division I level and 16 on to Division II or NAIA colleges or universities.

Nee began his coaching career at Central Florida Community College in Ocala, Florida. After a year there he served as an Assistant Coach at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia. Under Nee’s direction, Hargrave won the National Prep School Championship and sent nine players on to NCAA Division I level.

The majority of Nee’s coaching career has been spent in the Jayhawk Conference however. He served as Assistant Coach at Independence from 2004-06 and was the Head Coach at Highland from 2006-2009. In 2005, Independence posted a 30-4 record and were ranked in the top 10 nationally during the regular season before falling in the Region VI Championship Game. In 2009, Nee guided Highland to their first ever national ranking as the Scotties finished second in the Division II ranks in Region VI.

Overall, Nee has sent 23 players to the Division I level including players who have signed in power conferences such as the ACC, Big East, SEC, Pac 12, Atlantic 10, Conference USA, and the Mountain West. His Head Coaching record stands at 109-111 overall and his Jayhawk Conference record sits at 62-64 in seven seasons in the league.

Prior to coaching, Nee started his collegiate playing career at Monmouth University and later transferred to Johnson County Community College where he earned an Associate’s Degree. He finished his playing days at Central Oklahoma where he graduated with his Bachelor’s Degree. Nee and his wife Nicole, who will be the Head Cheer and Dance Coach at Seward this season, have a son, Donovan who is six.

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