The Most Impactful Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Players (1981-82-Present) – #4 Patrick Patterson
#4 Patrick Patterson
2007-2010
Huntington High School
Throughout Patrick Patterson’s high school career, he was always regarded as a top notch recruit. For Tubby Smith, the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats at the time, Patrick Patterson would be a huge commit. Patterson narrowed his list down to the University of Kentucky, Duke, and Florida. After Paterson narrowed his list down to three, UK head coach Tubby Smith stepped down and his replacement, Billy Gillispie was hired not long after. Many thought that this coaching change, despite Gillispie’s ability to recruit, would take Kentucky out of the running for Patrick Patterson altogether. As decision day approached for Patterson, it was becoming evident that the two favorites were, in fact, Duke and Florida, with Kentucky in third. Well, Patterson decided to prove almost everyone wrong when he chose to become a Wildcat of the University of Kentucky. Before coming to Kentucky, Patterson was a McDonald’s All American, a Parade All American, Mr. Basketball in the state of West Virginia, and the Gatorade State Player of the Year in West Virginia.
Patterson proved, in just his freshman year at the University of Kentucky, that he was just as good as he was cracked up to be before coming to Kentucky. Patterson was injured with a foot/ankle injury for the tail end of the season, so he only got to play in 25 games, but he started all 25 of those games, playing 35.7 minutes per game. Patterson averaged 16.4 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game. P-Pat shot 57% from the field and 73% from the free throw stripe. The Kentucky Wildcats struggled at the end of the season without Patterson, and were an early exit from the NCAA Tournament. Patterson earned All-SEC Freshman Team honors as well as All-SEC Second Team.
The thought of entering the the NBA Draft after just one year at the University of Kentucky was not a thought that Patrick Patterson entertained for very long as he decided to come back for his sophomore season almost immediately after the end of the 2007-2008 season. Patterson’s sophomore season, the second year that Billy Gillispie was the head coach of the University of Kentucky, was one of the most frustrating years for Kentucky fans everywhere. Patterson and teammate Jodie Meeks were the only things that this team had going for it at the time. With only two real offensive threats, the team as a whole struggled, but Patterson’s stats improved from his freshman year. Patterson played and started all 34 games, averaging 33.7 minutes per game. Patterson scored 17.9 points per game and pulled down 9.3 rebounds per game. Patterson shot 60% from the field and 77% from the free throw line, improving both from the previous season. The team was one of the worst UK teams in recent memory and failed to make the NCAA Tournament, ending a streak of 17 straight years receiving an NCAA Tournament bid for the Wildcats. The Wildcats lost to Notre Dame in the NIT, with Patterson and Meeks being the only Wildcats having scored in double figures in the game. Without Patterson, this team would have been in shambles and would have most likely struggled to keep a record over .500. This game proved to be the last game that Billy G would coach at UK as he was fired, and shortly after, current head coach John Calipari was hired. Patterson, soon after, was named to the All-SEC First Team and declared for the NBA Draft on April 18th, 2009, but chose to return to UK, less than a month later to improve his overall game under Coach Cal. This is what Coach Cal had to say about Patterson’s decision.
"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."
Patterson was named a Pre-Season AP All American prior to his junior season. One of Patrick Patterson’s major goals he wanted to accomplish when he came back to Kentucky for his junior year was that he wanted to improve his perimeter shooting ability. He worked the entire summer and throughout the year with Coach Cal to achieve that goal. Patterson’s junior year brought in an entire new team under Coach Cal, headlined by the incoming freshman, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, and Daniel Orton. Patterson played a much different role for this team than he had in the first couple years at UK. For his junior season, Patterson was the leader of this team and took on a smaller role in the offensive scheme than in previous years so that others could improve. Patterson started all 38 games that year, playing 33 minutes per game. Patterson saw his offensive stats drop a little for the team’s sake, averaging 14.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Patterson did accomplish his goal of becoming an improved perimeter shooter. In his first two years at UK, Patterson attempted only 4 threes, missing all four. In his junior year, Patterson made 24 of 69 threes attempted, shooting 35% from three point land. The Wildcats won the SEC Tournament and received a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament, finally giving Patterson a chance to play an NCAA Tournament game. This team ended up losing in the Elite 8 to West Virginia in a game in which the Wildcats shot terribly from the field and tournament inexperience really caught up to them. Despite not being able to bring home a national championship, Patrick Patterson was exactly the type of player that this team needed. He was a leader on and off the court. Patterson worked hard in the classroom as well, earning his degree in only three years at UK. Patterson was named to the All-SEC First Team and declared for the NBA Draft on April 23rd, 2010.
Patterson was drafted with the #14 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, who he still plays for today. After two years in the league, Patterson averages 7.1 points per game and 4.2 rebounds per game, in 20.3 minutes per game. Former Cat from last year’s National Championship team Terrence Jones will be joining Patterson on the Rockets, barring any trades.
Patrick Patterson was a huge fan favorite in his three years at the University of Kentucky, making a name for himself through constant hard work and hustle on both ends of the court. Patterson was the definition of consistency during a very inconsistent three years at the University of Kentucky. His ability to keep this team afloat with both his play and his leadership are what makes him the #4 Most Impactful Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Player since the 1981-82 season.