For the first time in a long time, charisma, energy and life filled the Convocation Center.

And no, I’m not talking about the Pep Band – although it was a nice touch for the occasion.

No, all the excitement was provided by a man with a microphone.

As Ricardo Patton – the new NIU men’s basketball head coach – spoke, he filled my head with dreams. I got caught up in it.

I could envision the Huskies cutting down the nets of the MAC tournament as one of the players started to do a silly dance like Florida’s Joakim Noah.

But, coming back to the office, I decided to do some research. And suddenly my dreams of victory were turned into nightmares. About what? A repeated mistake.

The Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News and Daily Camera all seemed to have been counting down the days until Patton left as head coach of Colorado.

Stories of unexcited fans, lowered attendance and a sub-.500 record in the Big 12 filled these newspapers.

Calls for him to be fired in the middle of the season seem eerily familiar to stories in newspapers in and near DeKalb over a different head coach.

But then there was the other side.

Dick Vitale said he would bring a wealth of experience to the program – something we need desperately.

Kelvin Sampson, the head coach of Indiana, faced Patton for 10 years in the Big 12. Sampson said not only is Patton a great guy, but someone who can coach.

Definitely a change from former NIU men’s basketball head coach Rob Judson.

Athletics Director Jim Phillips went through more than 500 resumes to find Patton, after all. And this is the man who hired women’s basketball head coach Carol Owens and women’s soccer head coach Marci Miller. Both those teams went deep into MAC postseason play with second-year head coaches.

Besides, Patton certainly has done enough in the past to make this sports reporter realize the potential this hire could have on NIU’s basketball program.

While Patton may have put together an overall record of 80-108 within the Big 12, he had an overall winning record of 184-160 in his 11-plus years.

And let’s not forget he coached against such teams as Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma.

While at Colorado, Patton put together six seasons with 18-plus wins, went to the NCAA tournament twice and participated in the NIT four times.

NIU has only four seasons of 18-plus wins in its history, and the Huskies have only been to the big dance once.

Plus, Patton won in the NCAA tournament over an Indiana team coached by Bobby Knight.

Now that’s experience; something we haven’t had here in a while.

Most importantly, he isn’t giving empty promises. He’s simply saying, “[The players] are hungry for success. The only thing I can promise you is we are going to hit the floor hard.”

Coach, I’m glad you’re here.