MURFREESBORO – After a dozen seasons at the helm of the women’s basketball program and Associate Athletic Director for Compliance, Patrick Mashuda is leaving Chowan University to become the new assistant women’s basketball coach at Division-I Mid-America Conference member Kent State University in Ohio.

“It was a great 12 years, and this was not an easy decision because of so many great people both in the community and at the university,” said Mashuda, speaking from Ohio where he will be introduced to his new post later this week.

Mashuda joins the staff of newly named KSU women’s coach Todd Starkey, a former assistant at Big-10 power, Indiana. Prior to his time in Bloomington, Starkey spent 10 seasons as head coach at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory.

Mashuda and Starkey’s relationship goes back 20 years and the pair has met as coaching foes in three previous games between Chowan and the Lady Bears.

“It’s a friendship that’s grown over the last nine to ten years and he’s certainly one of my best friends and someone I trust and believe in,” Mashuda said. “He’s one of the few people I would leave to go work for.”

Mashuda informed Chowan athletic director Ozzie McFarland, his players and members of the women’s basketball staff of his decision over a week and a half ago.

“The team was in the middle of final exams and I didn’t want them to leave and then have to (tell them with) a phone call, so it worked out well that they all could be together,” he said.

Mashuda’s 2015-16 Chowan team accomplished a number of firsts for the women’s program: the Lady Hawks achieved a 20-win season (20-9) for the first time in program history while also receiving ranking in the Division-II Atlantic Region (6th), and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

“It was a great year, no doubt,” he continued. “We accomplished so many program firsts, but there are still plenty of things for the group returning to strive for next year.”

Mashuda arrived in Murfreesboro in 2004 from Duquesne University in his native Pittsburgh after two prior academic stops and served under four Directors of Athletics at Chowan (Debbie Warren, Jim Tribbett, Dennis Helsel, and finally McFarland)

Since taking over the program he accumulated a 154-176 overall coaching record and earned his 100th career win over Elizabeth City State in January 2012. Prior to Chowan’s entry into the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) in 2010 Mashuda took his team to the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) South Region Tournament in three of his first five seasons as head coach.

Among the All-CIAA performers Mashuda coached were Alisha Mobley, who made the 2016 All-CIAA Team for the second consecutive year; Courtni Williams named CIAA Rookie of the Year in 2014; and Talaya Lynch, a three-time selectee to the All-CIAA Team who ended her career with 1,412 points and 578 total rebounds and ranks second in the Chowan record book for career points. His first ever CIAA Tournament victory came in 2011 with a 56-53 come from behind win over Livingstone College.

This season, freshman guard Jada Lee was CIAA Rookie of the Year.

Mashuda received his Associate’s Degree in Business Administration from Butler County Community College in Butler, PA and went on to Robert Morris University where he was a two-year member of the golf team.

The Pittsburgh native and Robert Morris grad was also Chowan’s Associate Athletic Director for NCAA Compliance, a position he held since the school transitioned to NCAA Division-II status in 2005.

“I will still be in administration as the liaison to compliance for the women’s program here at Kent State so I’ll still be involved, but on a much smaller scale,” he said.

Mashuda says the Chowan women’s program will have 14 returnees and Portsmouth, VA high school player Mariah Coker signed in November to play for the Hawks next season. He thinks it’s a good nucleus to make not just another NCAA run, but also win the CIAA championship.

“That’s 15 players intact for this fall already,” Mashuda declared. “Certainly the future and continued success of the program is in position to make that happen.

“The university, Dr. (Chris) White (Chowan President) and his leadership have been phenomenal over the years and always continuing to grow and move forward. Without his guidance, none of this might have been possible, so Dr. White deserves the biggest thank-you for being able to guide the program from 2004 to the successes of 2016,” the coach stated.

McFarland said a search for Mashuda’s successor has already begun and there’s no immediate timetable for the naming of a new coach with so many parts of the program already in place for 2016-17.

“Pat did so many things from P.A. announcing at football games, radio commentary, not to mention coaching and compliance, that he’s just going to be so hard to replace,” said McFarland. “We’ve got a very good team coming back so we want to do everything we can to get a quality coach in place to keep the returning players and the recruits.”