Brandon Pate will be the last of five posthumous inductees into the Pitt State Athletics Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 Friday evening.

It's a fitting distinction, perhaps akin to a captain's role, for one of the Gorilla men's basketball program's all-time elite players.

Hall of Fame head coach Gene Iba, and his staff, were actively and desperately recruiting an immediate impact point guard following the 1998-99 season. The Gorillas were fresh off a record-breaking season that saw the squad rise to the No. 1 ranking in the NCAA Division II ranks in early February, capture the program's first regular season MIAA Championship and make its third straight 24-win season and third consecutive berth in the NCAA Division II National Tournament. A key loss from that squad to graduation: senior point guard Oscar Gonzalez, a four-year starter and future Hall of Famer who came to embody the grit and determination that those Iba-led squads exuded.

Iba sent assistant coach Swede Trenkle on the road to shake the proverbial trees in every gym across the country to find a worthy newcomer to fill those shoes Gonzalez wore so well the past four years. Trenkle found Brandon Pate.

"Brandon was a recruit that took months to convince to be a Gorilla," said Trenkle, who after leaving PSU has served the past 20+ years as head coach at Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas. "He was recruited by several really good DII schools that year. We were replacing a great point guard (Gonzalez) from the last four years, so we needed someone special. He was tough and could do everything on the court."
 
Pate ultimately signed with Pitt State out of Northland Pioneer College in Holbrook, Ariz., where he was the starting point guard for the nationally-ranked Pioneers as a sophomore in 1998-99. He played his freshman season at Mesa (Ariz.) Community College and helped the Thunderbirds to a regional title after enjoying a stellar prep career at Oñate High School in Las Cruces, N.M.

Mark Slessinger was a young, first-year head coach at Northland Pioneer for that '98-99 campaign.
 
"When I became a head coach at the age of 24 at Northland Pioneer College, I was lucky to know that we had the best combo guard in the region. Brandon had a competitive fire and drive that I have rarely seen in my 31-year college coaching career," said Slessinger, who left Northland to become an assistant at Northwestern State (1999-2011), then served as head coach at New Orleans from 2011-24 and now enters his third year as associate head coach at Indiana State.

"Brandon was a three-level scorer who had an incredible change of pace and feel with the ball. He was dominate with his left hand but could finish through contact with both. His instincts and anticipation on the defensive side partnered with great hands and foot speed made him a nightmare for opposing guards. However, more than anything else he wanted to win and help his team find success. It brought me great happiness to receive the news of Brandon's honor into the Pitt State Hall of Fame."
 
Pate wasted little time in showcasing his skills for the Gorillas during his junior season. He was named the Most Valuable player of the Pepsi/City National Bank Classic over Thanksgiving weekend 1999, after averaging 16 points and 8.5 assists in a pair of wins at John Lance Arena. Two weeks later, he stepped onto the hardwood at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence and calmly poured in a season-high 29 points against No. 4 Kansas.

Pitt State head coach Jeff Boschee, then a junior guard for the Jayhawks, quipped players were asking, "who is this guy, No. 21" at the halftime intermission on that Dec. 11 night. KU eventually pulled away for a 25-point win (96-71), but Pate grabbed a fair share of the headlines from the contest.

By season's end, Pate scored 520 points – the 12^th highest scoring total in program history and dished out 138 assists as well. He ranked fourth in the MIAA with his 17.9-point scoring average and second in the league with his 4.8 assists clip. Pate settled for second-team All-MIAA honors despite ranking among the top individuals in the conference in most statistical categories.

Pate didn't sneak up on anybody during his senior campaign, and he didn't disappoint on the court as well. He contributed 15.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game while helping the Gorillas to a 21-9 overall record and narrowly missing a berth in the NCAA Division II National Tournament field.

Pate's signature scoring game of the season came in late February when he poured in a career best 38 points while making seven 3-pointers against Southwest Baptist.

His scoring total still ranks in the top 10 single game performances in school history and his seven 3's ranked second overall at the time. Following the season, Pate was named to the first-team All-MIAA squad, and DII Bulletin honored him as an honorable mention All-America selection.

Overall, he compiled 996 points and 287 assists, averaging 16.9 points and 4.9 assists over 59 career games for the Gorillas.

"I loved playing with Brandon," said Max Ruark, played alongside Pate in the Pitt State backcourt during the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons. "He was a fierce competitor with a very calm demeanor that allowed teammates to trust him when it mattered most. He always had a teammate's back and respected those who did the same."

Ruark also remembers a playful side to Pate's on-court talents.

"His 29-point game against KU was a great memory and showed how he always seemed to rise to another level when it was a big game," Ruark said. "However, my favorite memory of Brandon was when he would bust out his favorite move of dribbling the ball through his defender's legs and meeting the ball on the other side as he yelled 'Okie Doke' while he ran past them. It was one thing when he did it to guys in practice, but we all used to go nuts when he would pull it out in a game. Loved playing with him."
 
After his playing days, Pate worked as a paraprofessional educator in the Joplin (Mo.) School District for 18 years. He stayed action in the game of basketball by serving stints as an assistant coach at Riverton High School and Joplin High School.
 
Pate's head coach at Riverton, Zach Martin, knew him from his playing days at Pitt State and jumped at the opportunity to have him on his staff. Pate served with Martin for five years, from 2012-17, helping the Rams to back-to-back CNC League titles in 2014 and 2015 as well as a pair of trips to the Kansas Class 3A State Tournament.
 
"I first met Brandon during his final year at Pitt State when I was a student manager for the Gorillas," Martin said. "What I will always remember – and appreciate – is how he made me feel like 'one of the guys.'
 
"Life has a funny way of coming full circle. Years later, when I was a high school basketball coach, an assistant coaching position opened on our staff. We had recently hired Brandon's wife, Paige, to teach in our district, which gave me the opportunity to reconnect with him and ask whether he would be interested in joining us. He was working at a school in the Joplin district at the time, but fortunately, he was able to work out the logistics. I will always be grateful that he became part of our staff."
 
Martin said Pate's leadership skills, knowledge and passion for the game carried over from his playing days to his role of teacher of the game.
 
"Brandon loved basketball and enjoyed sharing his knowledge and experience with our players. What impressed me most, though, was his patience. For someone who played his level, it can be difficult to teach skills that came so naturally to players who are still learning the game. Brandon had a gift for it. He loved teaching the little things and helping players see how those details could make them better.
 
"Our players bought into what he taught because they knew he cared about them. They had tremendous respect and love for Brandon, and having the opportunity to coach alongside him is something I will always cherish."
 
Pate was hired to assume the head coach role at Riverton High School in May 2021. Four short months later, Pate suffered a medical emergency and died unexpectedly at age 45, leaving behind his wife, Paige, and young son, Braylon.
 
Shortly after being hired as head coach at Riverton, he was interviewed by KSN TV in Joplin.

"Who knew?" Pate told the reporter that day. "But I'm excited. It is kind of like going back home, it's where I started. I got an opportunity to start my coaching career there. So, to be able to come back all these years later, it's special no doubt about it."

Brandon will be figuratively 'going back home' Friday night as well.
 
A Hall of Fame induction for a Hall of Fame human being, gone too soon.
 
 
Brandon Pate will be inducted into the PSU Athletics Hall of Fame, along with 13 additional individuals and the 2016 NCAA Division II National Champion women's outdoor track & field team, in ceremonies Friday and Saturday (Oct. 23-24) on the PSU campus. The formal induction ceremony Friday will take place at the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts at 6 pm. The event is free and open to the public. The group also will be honored at halftime of the Gorillas' football game vs. Central Oklahoma on Saturday.