Meet the Wildcats: #54 Patrick Patterson
By Staff
JUNIOR
FORWARD
6’9 235
HUNTINGTON, WV
HUNTINGTON HS
BEFORE UK:
Was part of one of the most dominant HS teams ever as his Huntington squad won three straight Class AAA Championships in West Virgina. With his team mate OJ Mayo, Huntington HS team won their 3 2007 State Tournament games by an average of 48.3 points. For his senior season, Patterson averaged 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks a game. For me personally, the news that Patterson was a Wildcat was a sign that UK was on their way back. Rivals had Patrick as the 3rd best PF and 17th best player overall.
AS A WILDCAT:
It only took a handful of games for Patrick to establish he was going to be something special at UK. He scored 23 points in just his third game a Wildcat and was averaging 16 points a game just four games into his career. This was just an early sign of his dominance as Patterson scored in double digits in all but 2 games and had 5 double doubles to his credit when a stress fracture knocked him out of the lineup for the season. For his freshman campaign, Patterson averaged 16.4 points, and 7.7 rebounds.
Last season was a frustrating season as he was one of only two key scoring threats on the team and on any given night, it would be either him or Jodie Meeks that would be keyed on and double and tripled team. Regardless of all the extra defensive attention, Patterson was a beast and increased his numbers to 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds. Patterson became the 1oth quickest player to score 1000 points at UK and is now 56th on the scoring list with 1020 points. Patterson had an amazing 15 double doubles last season and was the first Wildcat in 19 seasons to have four straight double doubles. While Meeks was the scorer and the flash on last season’s team, Patterson was the heart and the muscle.
CAREER HIGHS:
Points: 33 – 12/22/2008 – vs Tennessee State
Rebounds: 18 – 1/21/2009 – vs Auburn
Assists: 6 – 11/24/2008 – vs Longwood
Blocks: 8 – 3/4/2009 – vs Georgia
Steals: 3 (2x) – last 11-24-2008 – vs Longwood
WE KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER:
As expected, Patrick Patterson put his name into the NBA Draft and even though he was widely projected as a first round pick, (right out of lottery range). Patrick thrilled the BBN by announcing his return for his junior season.
Then, Patrick spent the rest of his summer (with Daniel Orton) training with Frank Matrisciano, otherwise known as “Hell’s Trainer” in San Francisco. Matrisciano is a personal trainer who has pushed many to their absolute limits which some say is his ultimate gift: the ability to identify exactly where each of his client’s “limit” is. He has trained boxers, MMA & Martial Artists, Federal Marshalls, Firemen, Policemen, Pro Athletes, and Military Personnel. And of course, he trains the occasional basketball player. Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin trained with Hell’s Trainer before dominating the Big 12 last year and one hopes that Patterson can benefit accordingly. You can tell by his sculpted physique that the summer was a tremendous success.
WHAT TO EXPECT THIS SEASON:
Even with the newcomers, Patrick is the heart and soul of this team. One of the reason cited for his return to UK was that he had never experienced a NCAA game and he will get the opportunity to lead his team deep. A lot of people have made too much of Patterson’s role in the DDMO and if he can adapt or not, but I am not worried a bit. He will be the unmatched leader and the mentor to the younger players.
From the scrimmages, it looked like Patterson had addeds some wrinkles to his game as he went 2-2 from beyond the 3 point line vs Clarion. This season should present Patterson with lots more open scoring opportunities unlike last year where he had two guys hanging on him on almost every shot. I am going to show PPatt some love and say he will average a double double. 20 points and 10 rebounds. Plus will be a top 8 lottery pick in the NBA Draft.
Patrick on playing outside the lane this season: “It’s definitely a beautiful thing. Doing the individual workouts with the perimeters, (Calipari) even put me at the top of the key where normally a “1” or a “2” might be. I was running stuff from there, making moves, ball handling, everything. By doing that, I could see myself broadening my game and getting better day after day” (from Catspause)
CALIPARI ON PATTERSON:
“Patrick is a remarkable individual. His decision to return to the University of Kentucky for a chance to graduate in three years is admirable. Fans will see things from him this season that they didn’t think were possible. Players like Patrick make coaching seem easy. ”
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