Entries Tagged 'Patrick Patterson' ↓

On a teleconference Wednesday, ESPN analyst Dick Vitale called Kentucky big man Patrick Patterson a prime candidate for national player of the year.

“Patterson, without a doubt, will be a star,” Vitale said.

But, Vitale added, Patterson must be more assertive to get the most out of himself and for Kentucky to maximize its potential.

“At times he has a tendency to disappear a little bit and not really get involved in the action,” Vitale said.

Vitale noted that UK Coach John Calipari chided Patterson for only taking seven shots in the exhibition game against Campbellsville.

“No way that kid should take seven shots,” Vitale said. “He has to get his 14 or 15.  He has to make himself available.”

UK Coach John Calipari’s impatience extended even to All-American candidate Patrick Patterson.
Calipari mildly rebuked Patterson for not being more assertive against Campbellsville.
“I got on Patrick,” the UK coach said Thursday. “ ‘You took seven shots. You kidding me?’  ”
That was a rhetorical question.
Calipari said he may call more plays for Patterson to get the big man more involved offensively on Friday against Clarion.
“He’s one of the best players in the country,” Calipari said. “He needs to play that way.”

Kentucky star Patrick Patterson will attempt to play a different style of basketball this coming season. Of course, he’ll be facing the basket more and playing with a higher level of talent.

That should mean Patterson will not have to almost single-handedly battle opposing team’s front lines around the basket, two ESPN analysts said on a teleconference Wednesday.

“I’m anxious to see how the experiment works,” analyst Fran Fraschilla said.

Fraschilla noted how Patterson will have to adjust.

“He’ll no longer have three guys hanging ovr3 him when he posts,” Fraschilla said.

Paul Biancardi, ESPN’s director of recruiting, noted that he expects UK to run plays to get Patterson the ball in the low post and use him in pick-and-roll situations.

“They’re going to move him around the floor as much as they can,” Biancardi said. “He’s going to score from different areas of the floor.”

Kentucky Coach John Calipari told a group of high school coaches on Friday that star big man Patrick Patterson will be playing his final season for the Wildcats in 2009-10.

Speaking to the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches, Calipari said his first UK team’s experience consisted of “three seniors and Patrick Patterson, who will leave this year. Hopefully he’ll be a top 10 pick.”

That Patterson would leave after his junior season comes as no surprise. But it was also interesting that Calipari gave himself no wiggle room.

Patterson averaged 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds as a sophomore last season. He recorded 15 double-doubles, topped the 1,000-poiint career scoring mark and made the All-Southeastern Conference first team.

Although projected as a first-round draft choice, Patterson chose to return to UK for this coming season. He said he wanted to improve his perimeter skills while acknowledging that at 6-foot-9 he would be unlikely to be a consistent scorer in the low post against NBA competition.

Calipari expressed mixed feelings about Patterson as a face-the-basket player.

“I better teach him how to play out (on the floor),” the UK coach said before adding, “But I’m trying to win, too.”

As he had said before, Calipari noted how Patterson would be stationed in the low post at the end of close games.

“I tell Patrick, ‘Play like a guard,’ ” Calipari said. “When the game’s on the line, (his teammates) will all be saying, ‘Get under the goal, Patrick.’ ”

Patterson, a native of Huntington, W.Va., came to UK as the long-sought-after power forward. He was a McDonald’s All-American after leading Huntington High to three straight West Virginia 3A state championships.

Patterson goes into this coming season still seeking to play in a NCAA Tournament. An ankle injury ended his freshman season. He watched from the bench as the Cats lost to Marquette in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

UK failed to receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament last season.

Calipari re-stocked Kentucky’s front line this off-season. He re-recruited Daniel Orton, who originally signed with former Coach Billy Gillispie. Calipari also brought in highly regarded freshman DeMarcus Cousins.

In his talk to the coaches, Calipari suggested that he might have some issues with Cousins regarding the big man being around the basket or on the perimeter.

In a recent scrimmage, Cousins had at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. That prompted Calipari to say he told the freshman, “You were a beast. . . . Are you that good? Because if you are that good, it’s starting to get scary.”

After Cousins thanked the coach, Calipari said he added, “But your body language (stunk).”

Cousins then explained. “It’s how you’re plaing me,” he told Calipari. “You know my skills are out on the floor.”

To which Calipari told the coaches, “He thinks that’s what people want to see from a 6-11, 270 (player).”

Calipari offered a compromise.

The UK coach told his audience, “I may tell him with every 10 rebounds, I’ll let you go to the top of the key and go crazy.”

During an appearance on ESPN’s Outside the Lines program on Friday, columnist Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal harshly criticized how Kentucky Coach John Calipari does his basketball business.

“John runs programs where scoundrels run the place,” Calkins said.

Calkins and ESPN senior writer Pat Forde noted that Kentucky had fired two coaches — Eddie Sutton in basketball and Hal Mumme in football — despite those men not being named in major violations.

Calipari also appeared on the show. He said that people who know him do not have questions about how he runs his basketball programs.

Earlier this week, it became known that the NCAA had alleged major violations involving academic fraud and improper payment of travel expenses in Calipari’s Memphis program.

During his 51-minute Internet “chat” with UK fans on Thursday, Patrick Patterson was asked the main message he’d want to convey about the 2009-10 season.

“Expect greatness,” Patterson responded.

That expectation came through as loud and clear as a Patterson dunk. More than 2,000 people participated in the “chat.”

Highlights included:

– Patterson on his perimeter shooting: “I want to hit all of my three-pointers, but at least one a game.”

– Patterson on whether he’ll grow out his hair in an afro again: “If enough people want me to grow it back, I will.”

An instant poll showed that 67 percent of respondents want to see the afro again.

– A disquieting moment. When asked about the finger that hampered his play last season, Patterson responded, “Still swollen.”

– Patterson on junior college transfer Darnell Dodson: “Tremendous shooter and leaper.”

– Patterson saying he wants to be known as “P-Pat” this coming season.

– A fan asking for a parting comment on next season. “Make sure you’re watching because this year will be special,” Patterson responded. “Don’t blink.”

Patrick Patterson is scheduled to participate in an on-line chat with Kentucky fans on Thursday.

Here’s the information UK released:

Patrick Patterson is back for another year and now he’s ready to talk to the fans.

Patterson, a 6-foot-9 forward from Huntington, W. Va., will join Cat Scratches, UK’s official blog on www.UKAthletics.com, Thursday afternoon for a live chat. Starting at 1 p.m., Patterson will chat with fans about his return to Kentucky, the Cats’ latest recruiting class, head coach John Calipari and more.

Fans can participate in the blog by sending in their questions and comments while the live chat is going on. The live chat will last about 30-45 minutes. Cat Scratches will launch the blog 15 minutes before the Patterson chat is set to start to allow fans to send in their questions and comments ahead of time.

With the Kentucky team shooting around before Saturday’s game against Delaware State, we got a surprise.

UK big man Patrick Patterson has cut his hair. Before the season, Patterson said he planned to grow his Afro throughout 2008-09.

Something apparently made him change his mind two games into the season. Perhaps it was a slow start (for him) this season. Through two games, Patterson is averaging 13.5 points and 9.0 rebounds.

Those are good numbers, but he averaged 16.4 points as a freshman.

Maybe Patterson thinks his teammates will find him better in the low post if his hair is short.

The player’s father cited two reasons. One, Patterson got tired of having to maintain his hairdu. And, two, he wanted to signal a fresh start to the season. “He wanted to change his mojo,” Buster Patterson said.

Tywanna Patterson, the mother of Kentucky basketball star Patrick Patterson, attended a Barack Obama rally in Cincinnati Thursday.

To say she came away impressed is an understatement.

“He looks at you and you feel like, wow,” she said in a telephone conversation. “You feel like a kid. You feel part of greatness.”

Obama spoke to a reported crowd of 15,000 in Cincinnati’s Ault Park. Mrs. Patterson has a close-up view of the Democratic candidate for president.

“Within a couple feet,” she said. “It was awesome.”

Mrs. Patterson bought a T-shirt and button before leaving Cincinnati.

After that, could UK’s Big Blue Madness seem humdrum? As Sarah Palin would say, You betcha.

 Star big man Patrick Patterson and UK Coach Billy Gillispie have discussed the player’s possible entry into next year’s NBA draft.

“We’ve talked several times already,” Gillispie said at a Thursday news conference. “He needs to prepare like he’s going to be the first player taken. That’s a goal.”

Patterson will be a sophomore next season.

“I don’t think he’s obsessing about it. But he’s preparing to be the best player in America.”

If the NBA projects Patterson to be a high draft choice, Gillispie said he would encourage him to enter the draft. Or as Gillispie said he would put it to Patterson, “Hey, bud, this opportunities don’t come along very often.”

Gillispie again said that Patterson was ahead of schedule in recovering from off-season surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left ankle.

X-rays taken six and 12 weeks after surgery revealed much more healing than anticipated, the UK coach said. Another x-ray is scheduled for Friday. Gillispie credited running on an underwater treadmill, which not many schools possess, the coach said.

Gillispie spoke of Patterson returning to the court within a month.

Gillispie noted how UK will look to Patterson to be a leader on and off the court.