Hall of Fame
Yes, Patrice Misiano fouled a little bit more than most players, but there was a reason for it. She thought that head coach Barbara Stevens missed her on the bench and needed her advice so she fouled on purpose, this according to Patrice.
“She had more fun, and had the greatest sense of humor,” said Stevens of her free-spirited post player, “In a very serious moment of the game, Patrice would give a one-liner or make a comment that would break the tension, and you couldn’t help but laugh at her.”
Patrice, who came to Bentley from nearby Revere, played her high school ball under the tutelage of Eddie Leyden, who later served as the Suffolk University women’s coach. She came into Bentley with good skills and Stevens admits that she didn’t think she be as good as she was, but it was during her time as a Falcon that she blossomed into a great player and it is a credit to her hard work.
She played four years under Stevens and scored 1,363 points, fifth on the Bentley all-time scoring list at the time of her graduation and 17th more than 30 years later. “The best part of Patrice’s game was her ability to run the floor,” said Stevens, “She out-ran players at her position, so most of her points were off of transition.” Her sophomore campaign was her most successful offensively when she scored 394 points.
Patrice was listed as being 6’0”, but she was closer to 5’11” and rebounded very well for her size. She ripped down 742 rebounds in her career, currently good for 16th on the all-time list. In her senior season, Misiano had a career-high 252 rebounds. Her aggressive nature made her a good defensive stopper and she was never afraid to mix it up inside and to challenge people physically.
Stevens mentioned that Misiano kept things in a good perspective and that she maximized her time at Bentley both on and off the court. The one thing that she did not become accustomed to is losing. In her four years, the Falcons went an astounding 125-13, including four trips to the Elite Eight. They reached the 30-win plateau every year and captured four Northeast-10 regular season championships and three NE-10 playoff championships.
The three-year starter capped off her career by playing in the 1993 NCAA Division II Fab Four, right here at the Dana Center. That same postseason, Patrice was named the Most Outstanding Player in both Northeast-10 Championships and NCAA Division II Northeast Regionals.
