DeKALB | Check your excuses at the door.

Ricardo Patton was introduced as the 26th men’s basketball coach in the history of NIU Monday at the Convocation Center, and made a bold pronouncement for all in attendance.

“We have no excuses,” Patton said. “We will be successful. We are going to win.”

Patton arrives at NIU after a 11-plus year stint at Colorado, which featured eight winning seasons, four campaigns above .500 in the Big 12 conference and, of vital importance to NIU director of athletics Jim Phillips, six appearances in postseason tournaments.

“It was paramount to get a coach with Division I coaching experience,” Phillips said. “With proven success in the NIT and NCAA Tournaments mixed in with strong recruiting skills, the name of Ricardo Patton rose to the top of the list very quickly.”

Phillips, in his third year at the helm of NIU athletics, continues to revamp his stable of coaches.

The search to secure the services of Patton – who made his candidacy when he announced he would not be back at Colorado for a 13th campaign prior to the start of this season – included more than 500 candidates.

Phillips evaluated the status of the program and decided to make a change once he returned from the NIU women’s MAC Tournament game in Cleveland, he said.

In a passionate tone of voice, the new leader of NIU basketball recalled his first encounter with his new players. Patton simply asked for a show of hands.

“I said, ‘Raise your hand if you’ve been to the NCAA Tournament or NIT,'” Patton said. “And no one raised their hands. If you want to get somewhere you haven’t been, you should ask someone who has been there – that gives you the edge to compete.”

There is no “magical saw dust” that will turn around a team that was 7-20 overall and 4-12 in the MAC this past season, Patton said.

“I talked to the players, and they are hungry for success,” he said. “But there is only one way to get there, and that is hard work. We plan to hit the floor running.”

A non-conference schedule featuring a local flair is also on Patton’s short list of to-do items.

“I want Illinois and DePaul to play here,” Patton said. “There is no reason to not play those teams.”

Patton believes winning the recruiting wars off the court will translate into wins on the court, thus carrying a direct correlation to an increase in attendance at the building.

The process of filling out a coaching staff is underway. With that in mind, Patton reached out to several players sitting in the front row.

“I will talk to the guys here. I know they hold a special place for the former staff,” Patton said. “I just want to try and etch out a spot in their hearts as well.”