|
|
» 1A » Sports » City | Region » Business Monday » Health | Family » Communities » Free Time » Weekender » Faith | Values » Inside | Out » A la carte » Arts + Life |
Week In Pictures
 |
 |
|
Buy Herald-Leader photos Visit HL Photo.com Slide shows, videos UK sports photos Horse racing photo |
|
|
 |
AUDIO: Gillispie discusses progress
If Kentucky star big man Patrick Patterson reaches his goals next season, he will be playing his last season as a Wildcat.
UK basketball coach Billy Gillispie acknowledged at a Thursday news conference that he has talked to Patterson about possibly entering the 2009 NBA Draft.
“We've talked several times already,” Gillispie said. “He needs to prepare like he's going to be the first player taken. Put that as a goal.”
Patterson, co-freshman of the year in the Southeastern Conference, will be a sophomore next season.
“I don't think he's obsessing about it,” Gillispie said of the NBA Draft. “But that's what he needs to prepare for. Hey, try 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, these opportunities don't come along that often.”
Patterson has downplayed the NBA talk in past player-coach conversations, Gillispie said. But the UK coach noted how a potential NBA career can motivate college players.
Patterson was central to Kentucky last season. He led the SEC in minutes played in league games (38.92 a game), averaged 16.4 points and led UK in rebounding (7.7 a game).
Patterson's role next season could be expanded.
“He'll be right in the middle of everything,” said Gillispie before playfully adding, “I expect him to grab every rebound all season. Play every minute like last year and score every basket. … Block five, six, eight shots a game.”
A moment later, Gillispie added in a more serious vein, “We're going to throw it in there a lot. We'll play off him a lot. That's one area on our team that will be vastly improved. We'll be able to feed the post a lot better. Everybody knows that's where our bread is buttered.”
The talk about feeding Patterson in the post seemed to contradict comments late last season about the big man playing more at power forward in the future.
Not so, said Gillispie, who noted that Patterson touched the ball as much in the high post as he did in the low post late last season.
Improvement by forward Perry Stevenson and the addition of junior college transfer Josh Harrellson will enable Patterson to move more to the high post, Gillispie said.
Gillispie also singled out Patterson as a team leader on and off the court.
For Patterson to fulfill expectations, he will have to be healthy.
Gillispie reiterated 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, Gillispie said. Another X-ray is scheduled for Friday.
Gillispie noted the benefit of running on UK's underwater treadmill, which not many schools possess. So instead of gaining weight while having to be off his feet, Patterson has been able to exercise.
“His conditioning is fantastic,” Gillispie said. “He's a very determined guy.”
Gillispie spoke of Patterson returning to the court within a month.
