Chasity Patterson Could Make Her Kentucky Debut on Saturday
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(UK Athletics)[/caption]
It's been a year since junior guard Chasity Patterson transferred from Texas to come all the way up to Lexington. The 5-foot-5 guard was one of the best high school players across the country in 2017, but never found her stride as a Longhorn. As a result, she navigated her way to Kentucky to Matthew Mitchell's squad and there is a good chance she makes her Wildcat debut very soon.
The No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats are out West as they'll take on the Cal Golden Bears at 7 p.m. on Saturday and Patterson is eligible to play for the first time since her transfer.
Due to NCAA transfer rules, Patterson had to sit out the entirety of both the spring and winter semesters of 2019.
"She is completely integrated into the team," head coach Matthew Mitchell told the media on Dec. 8 about Patterson. "She’s going to be taking the floor for us versus Cal and we couldn’t be more excited. She is going to be a boost to us.”
When Patterson does finally step on the court for Kentucky, she'll officially be the highest-rated recruit (No. 4 overall in 2017) to ever suit up for the blue-and-white. Out of high school, she was the top-ranked point guard in the nation and scored over 3,000 points in her four years before heading off to college. Patterson averaged nearly 29 points per game her senior year in Houston. She was tabbed the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year, but never quite lived up to those standards in her rookie season.
During her first year with Texas, she posted averages of 2.8 points per game in 24 outings. After just one game into her sophomore season - when she played just nine minutes in the season-opener - Patterson decided it was best to search for greener pastures.
“It just didn’t work out,” Patterson said of her time at Texas, according to the Herald-Leader. “I try not to focus too much on the past. I’m trying to just move forward.”
She'll be dressed and ready to go for the game against Cal. Patterson will add another scoring punch in her role, which will most likely be off the bench as she works into game form. The rotation already goes eight deep for coach Mitchell and all they were missing in the backcourt was one more ball-handler.
It's been a long time coming for Patterson and she now has a chance to reinvent herself. Her time at Texas wasn't what she would have hoped, but all that can change when she finally makes her return to the college court on Saturday.
(UK Athletics)[/caption]
It's been a year since junior guard Chasity Patterson transferred from Texas to come all the way up to Lexington. The 5-foot-5 guard was one of the best high school players across the country in 2017, but never found her stride as a Longhorn. As a result, she navigated her way to Kentucky to Matthew Mitchell's squad and there is a good chance she makes her Wildcat debut very soon.
The No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats are out West as they'll take on the Cal Golden Bears at 7 p.m. on Saturday and Patterson is eligible to play for the first time since her transfer.
Due to NCAA transfer rules, Patterson had to sit out the entirety of both the spring and winter semesters of 2019.
"She is completely integrated into the team," head coach Matthew Mitchell told the media on Dec. 8 about Patterson. "She’s going to be taking the floor for us versus Cal and we couldn’t be more excited. She is going to be a boost to us.”
When Patterson does finally step on the court for Kentucky, she'll officially be the highest-rated recruit (No. 4 overall in 2017) to ever suit up for the blue-and-white. Out of high school, she was the top-ranked point guard in the nation and scored over 3,000 points in her four years before heading off to college. Patterson averaged nearly 29 points per game her senior year in Houston. She was tabbed the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year, but never quite lived up to those standards in her rookie season.
During her first year with Texas, she posted averages of 2.8 points per game in 24 outings. After just one game into her sophomore season - when she played just nine minutes in the season-opener - Patterson decided it was best to search for greener pastures.
“It just didn’t work out,” Patterson said of her time at Texas, according to the Herald-Leader. “I try not to focus too much on the past. I’m trying to just move forward.”
She'll be dressed and ready to go for the game against Cal. Patterson will add another scoring punch in her role, which will most likely be off the bench as she works into game form. The rotation already goes eight deep for coach Mitchell and all they were missing in the backcourt was one more ball-handler.
It's been a long time coming for Patterson and she now has a chance to reinvent herself. Her time at Texas wasn't what she would have hoped, but all that can change when she finally makes her return to the college court on Saturday.
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