Patel eyeing another prize at eStem
An already busy spring figures to be even busier this summer for Monty Patel.
The 32-year-old is currently on the road coaching AAU basketball for the HoopLife organization and pretty soon, he’ll be gearing up for his second season as head coach of
Team Arkansas in the $1 million The Basketball Tournament.
But it’s a new position he recently assumed that’s got him about as optimistic and happy as anything he’s ever embarked on at any point in his coaching career.
After spending years as a high school assistant, Patel is set to lead his own program for the first time after being named the new boys basketball coach at eStem, a charter school in Little Rock.
“I’m excited,” Patel said. “After being under guys like Coach [Victor] Joyner, [Johnny] Rice, [Nathan] Clayborn and [Wendell] Cartwright, I’ve learned so much about different ways to run a successful program. Those coaches have so much respect from me on how they’ve led their programs to success with very different rosters and players.
“The programs I have been in are all established, and listening to those coaches talk about their experiences and how they were able to make themselves winners gives me somewhat of a blueprint on how to establish winning standards into a program.”
Patel, who’s taking over for Nathan Pottorff, had been an assistant for Joyner at Jacksonville since 2019, where he helped lead the Titans to a share of the 2020 Class 5A state title. Prior to that, he was an assistant for Clayborn at Marion before both joined Rice at North Little Rock. The Arkansas State University alum also worked with Cartwright at Cossatot River.
Now Patel is ready to carve his own path at a school that’s no stranger to success.
The Mets had three straight seasons of at least 20 victories (2017-20) and reached the Class 4A state semifinals in 2020. Pottorff went 29-26 in his two years at eStem, including 14-17 this past season. But of those 17 losses, seven were by 10 points or less.
Patel pointed to the school administration’s aspirations as one of the primary factors he decided to take the job.
“[The administration] shared what their vision for the program in one year, three years, and five years is,” he said. “They are wanting to build the basketball program up to sustain success for the foreseeable future. We are a 5A program without football, and our priority is basketball. … I’m excited that we want to be a basketball school.
“There were so many positives to what eStem can offer. It’s also a charter school, and we offer classes that can prepare our athletes for college and their futures. They have plans for facilities in the future, and I’m able to bring coaches with me to bring excitement to both of our junior highs and our high school. We are also working on a sixthgrade program as well.”
There’s still quite a bit of juggling that Patel will have to do while preparing for his debut season with the Mets. The Basketball Tournament — a 64-team, eight-region, winner-take-all event — will begin in mid-July. Last year, Team Arkansas, with its collection of players with ties to the state, advanced to the second round before being ousted by Team Challenge ALS.
Patel noted that he’s ready to take another crack at winning that $1 million pot in his second goround with the team.
“I’m glad to get to go again with them,” he said. “Those guys were fun to be around, and it’s another learning experience for myself and the staff we have. Roster-wise, we are hoping to pull off some surprises and are working towards that. A big part of that is sponsorships so we are searching for that now, too.”
Still, the chore he’ll have at eStem in the fall is one he’s fully embracing. The Mets will move up a classification, which means the competition may be a bit stiffer than what they’ve seen in the past. But that only adds intrigue for Patel, who’s never been one to shy away from tests.
“Expectations are as simple as establishing our norms and standards into the program,” he said. “Let the kids enjoy themselves, show off the best parts of their game, promote our program in a positive way and represent ourselves with respect off the court. Wins and losses have always taken care of themselves. We just have to show up and get better daily.
“I don’t see as many challenges as I do just showing the young men at eStem how this program can be successful. I know there will be road bumps, every program has them. We just have to respond the right way.”