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Week In Pictures
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When Patrick Patterson hobbled into the training room on crutches Friday, his University of Kentucky teammates thought (hoped? prayed?) he was joking.
“Joe’s face dropped,” Patterson said of teammate Joe Crawford. “He goes, like, ‘Stop playing, it’s not April Fool’s yet.’”
It was no joke. An X-ray of Patterson’s sore left ankle earlier Friday revealed a stress fracture of the medial malleolus bone. UK’s star freshman will not play again this season.
On the plus side, the diagnosis prevented Patterson from risking a more serious injury by continuing to play. “If you continue to play, it’ll tear all the way through,” Patterson said of the medical options he received. “It’ll be 20 times worse than it is now. There were no other options. If I played, the likelihood of playing next year is not good.”
Further good news: There apparently will be a next year for Patterson at UK. He repeated his commitment to returning to the team next season rather than entering this year’s NBA Draft.
“I know I’m not ready,” he said. “No possible way I’m trying to go. I’m here to stay at Kentucky as long as I can. Freshman year, I’m here. Sophomore year, I’m here.”
UK Coach Billy Gillispie put on a brave face. He noted his team’s toughness in overcoming injuries earlier this season. The Wildcats overcame a 6-7 start, which included an embarrassing loss to Gardner-Webb, to get in position to play at No. 1 Tennessee on Sunday for a share of the lead in the Southeastern Conference race.
But Gillispie did not dismiss the new obstacle that seems bigger than the imposing 6-foot-8, 232-pound presence.
“It’s going to get a lot tougher,” he said, “but not impossible. This team has played a special way of basketball in the conference. We’ll just have to play a little more special without him. It’s not the end of the world.”
The Cats could not set up a tougher first game without its star freshman: at No. 1 Tennessee, a team eager to avenge a January loss at UK.
“Bring it on, bring it on,” Gillispie said. “They’re great. We have a great respect for them. (But) you don’t get a choice to who and when things happen. That’s the way life is. Hey, let’s deal with it. Let’s make the most of it.”
Tennessee Coach Bruce Pearl found the news hard to believe. “We’re going to prepare like he’s going to play,” he told UT beat writers before adding, “It’s unfortunate if he’s out, because he was right there for (SEC) Player of the Year or Freshman of the Year.”
Patterson acknowledged his shock at having a stress fracture. He said he woke up Tuesday morning with pain in the ankle. After treatment, he played 37 minutes against Ole Miss on Wednesday night. As the game unfolded, he felt more discomfort.
When Patterson woke up on Friday, the ankle hurt. UK trainers recommended an X-ray, which revealed the fracture. “I started crying when I found out I couldn’t play the rest of the season,” he said. “Because I couldn’t play anymore I felt I let down my teammates.”
The players’ parents planned to drive from their Huntington, W.Va., home Friday night to be with their son. His father, Buster, expressed concern for his son dealing with his first major injury.
“He can shoulder a big load,” Buster said. “But at the end of the day, he’s still a kid. He’s not even 19 yet. Everybody portrays him to be Goliath or the beast of the east. At the end of the day, he’s still a child. He’s hurting.”
Patterson, who said he would have played through the pain if the fracture had not been revealed, is UK’s second-leading scorer (16.4 points a game) and leads the team in rebounding (7.7 rebounds a game). He’s the team’s main presence around the basket. He also leads the SEC in minutes played, averaging 38.9 a game.
“I have not been around a freshman who was asked to do more or (has) done more for a team,” Gillispie said. “He’s expected to be a great player and he’s done that, and more.”
Patterson said he has experienced ankle problems (sprains and “tweaks”) since high school. He turned his right ankle before UK played at Houston in December. That is the only game he has missed this season.
Teammates Ramel Bradley and Perry Stevenson spoke of carrying on.
When asked what he’d tell fans who believe the injury ruined UK’s chances of success the rest of the way, Stevenson said, “All I can do is tell them, watch. Look and see. I think we’ll be all right.”
Bradley noted how Patterson can continue to help by encouraging his teammates.
While accentuating the positive, Gillispie took a more sober-minded view.
“It’s easy to say we’ll be fine,” he said. “It’s a devastating blow.”
Gillispie voiced his confidence that the Cats will compete. He did not see drastic changes in how UK plays. It’s too late in the season to orchestrate an overhaul, he said. Kentucky will continue to work inside-out on offense.
“We’re not going to drastically change a lot of things we do,” the UK coach said. “You’re too far into the season to do that.”
Gillispie also noted the handicap of a roster short of talent.
“We’ve had to face this way too many times,” he said. “We need to be better equipped in the future to handle whatever injuries come our way.”
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AUDIO: Patterson, Gillispie, players comment