Few shots belie Patterson's work ethic

UK star developing new comfort zone as Calipari expands his game

By Jerry Tipton - Herald-Leader Staff Writer

That Patrick Patterson took only seven shots in the exhibition against Campbellsville led Kentucky Coach John Calipari to implore the star big man to be more assertive.

Going into Saturday's game against Rider, Patterson was averaging only 9.7 shots.

That raises a question: Might the team-first Patterson benefit from more of a me-first approach?

Jerry Tipton

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas cautioned against the notion that a bit of selfishness can be a good thing for a player.

"I think he is one of the hardest workers and most relentless players in the country," Bilas wrote of Patterson in an e-mail. "I have never seen him take a play off. And if he didn't put up a number, it had more to do with his teammates getting him the ball than anything he did or didn't do."

When asked about Patterson's shots, Calipari did not point to his teammates. The UK coach put the onus on his All-America candidate.

"A lot of it is go get the ball," Calipari said. "Just go get the ball. How about go get an offensive rebound? How about sticking your nose in there and being a monster? It's not just running plays to him."

One factor seems to be Patterson still growing more comfortable as a perimeter player.

"I do like the fact that Calipari is asking Patterson to step out of his comfort zone a bit to expand his game," Bilas wrote. "Players can stay comfortably in roles to their detriment sometimes.

"It is like a plant. If you put it in a pot, it will conform to that pot and grow to the shape of that pot. Calipari is looking for Patterson to grow in some other directions. He can still be really effective with his main strengths, though."

As Calipari suggested repeatedly in the pre-season, Patterson will be posted at the basket in the closing minutes of close games.

As for the notion of a bit of selfishness, Bilas saw potential good and bad in a me-first attitude. A balance must be maintained.

"It is never selfish to work for and take a good shot," Bilas wrote. "If all five guys are working their tails off to get open for a good shot, the offense will run better and the team will be tougher to guard.

"Selfish players take or settle for bad shots, or take shots at the expense of others having much better shots. Selfish players take shots off of one pass before the defense has been given a chance to break down. Selfish players take contested shots early in the clock rather than open shots after making the defense work."

Coaches want players to be hungry to score, but not obsessed with statistics, Bilas wrote.

No one suggests Patterson is obsessed with statistics. He's unselfish, perhaps not to a fault.

The Hayes diet

Diane Cowen of the Houston Chronicle recently sat down with ex-UK standout Chuck Hayes, who now plays for the Houston Rockets. Here's an excerpt:

Question: You look pretty tall to me, but when you're out on the court you're actually one of the smaller guys. What do you do physically to make yourself stronger and faster than your opponents?

Answer: I run as much as I can and do agility work for foot speed. A lot of people think I lift a lot of weights but I don't. I don't want to be bulky.

Q: How much running?

A: Maybe a mile or so. In the off-season I start by wearing a weight vest and just run short jogs. Then I take the vest off and try to sprint. I do it for endurance.

Q: And what do you do for agility?

A: We work out with cones. Like those orange cones you see in driving tests. (Laughs.) It's a lot of stop-and-go and quick movement and we do it with resistance bands.

Q: You say you don't lift much weight, but your biceps are well defined. What do you do for that kind of muscle definition?

A: They're just like that and have been since I was in high school. We do some lifting. I work out with 20-pound kettle bells and do band work for muscle strength and core.

Q: Does all this training translate to anything else in your life? Do you have any sports hobbies?

A: Well, I just picked up golf, but I'm pretty bad. In fact, I played nine holes the other day.