Pat Charity is in her fifth season as associate coach for the Rainbow Wahine basketball program. Charity has been an integral part of the program as head coach Jim Bolla’s first hire upon his arrival in the summer of 2004.
Charity will continue to play a key role in the program with duties that include scouting, scheduling, recruiting and the day-to-day operations of the team. On the court, she oversees the development of the team’s forwards.
Charity was instrumental in the signing of six players this season, adding to the depth of the Rainbow Wahine. The signing class of six is the largest since Charity and Bolla arrived at UH in 2004.
Charity has more than two decades of coaching experience, including a pair of head-coaching stints on both the collegiate and professional levels. From 1990-97, Charity served as the head coach at her alma mater, Western Michigan. WMU compiled an overall record of 74-118 and a 50-72 record in the Mid-American Conference.
Charity also led the Birmingham Power of the National Women’s Basketball League in its inaugural season of 2000-01. The Power won the first NWBL Pro Cup and was runner-up in the league’s title game.
Charity last served as an assistant coach at Long Beach State during the 2002-03 season under then-head coach Dallas Boychuk, Bolla’s wife. Charity’s experience as an assistant also includes stops at UNLV (2001-02), Alabama (1997-2000), Arizona (1987-90) and Western Michigan (1982-87). While at Alabama, Charity was tabbed as the top assistant and recruiter. In her three-year stay, Charity reeled in two recruiting classes rated in the Top 5 nationally, while also leading the Crimson Tide to two NCAA Tournament berths.
A standout player at Western Michigan, Charity was an honorable mention All-American in 1978 and ’80 and also a member of the U.S. silver medal-winning team at the 1977 World Games. She also played in the initial Women’s All-American Classic in Philadelphia in 1977 and was one of 15 candidates for the Wade Trophy, honoring the nation’s top collegiate player. Charity is the only player in school history to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career. In 1993, Charity was inducted into WMU’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Following her playing career at Western Michigan, she played one season (1981-82) of professional basketball in Italy.
Charity graduated with a B.S. in education with a minor in recreation and coaching from Western Michigan in 1981 and received her M.S. in administration in 1990 from Western Michigan.
