Ricardo Patton out as NIU's basketball coach

Staff reportRicardo Patton will not return as coach of the Northern Illinois basketball team, the school announced Wednesday."I appreciate the hard work and dedication to Northern Illinois University and our men's basketball program that Ricardo and his staff have shown over the past four years," NIU athletic director Jeff Compher said in a statement. "The program has progressed academically under his leadership, and he and his staff have done a great job of becoming a part of this community and have been active members of our athletics department. We wish all of them the best in the future."The Huskies finished 9-21 this season, capped by a 72-54 loss to Bowling Green in the first round of the Mid-American Conference tournament. In four seasons at the DeKalb schoo, Patton was 35-83 (19-44 in the MAC).