Patrick Patterson knew after one practice how good the 2010 Kentucky team could be

It really is crazy to think about, but we are officially through 11 years of the John Calipari experience at Kentucky. And - as has been documented extensively - it isn't an exaggeration to say that it all really did start with that 2009-2010 season. And that so much of the program's current success can be tied directly to that team. Even looking at that roster now, it is insane how loaded it was. No. 1 overall pick, John Wall. Future multi-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins. Eric Bledsoe, a guy who went from mid-first round pick to almost 100 million in career salary. Darius Miller, DeAndre Liggins, Daniel Orton, on and on and on. Yet the backbone of that team was and always will be Patrick Patterson, the player who was initially recruited by Tubby Smith, stuck through the Billy Gillispie lean years, only to come out on the back end as an SEC champion. And as fond as Kentucky fan's memories are of Patterson, his memories are equally fond as well. On Monday, Patterson re-lived it all on KSR's Aaron Torres Sports Podcast. From his recruitment at Kentucky through his final game, Patterson discussed all the highs and lows of his three years in Lexington. "Kentucky is in my eyes the cream of the crop, the top of the mountain, the best university as far as college basketball goes," Patterson said of why he chose Kentucky. "That right there drew me in initially. The guys I met, I seemed to have clicked and enjoyed the chemistry, and overall just hanging out with them a little bit more than everyone else I got a chance to hang out with... It seemed like it fit. And although Tubby left I felt a strong connection with Billy Gillispie, and a strong belief in what he saw for myself and for the program once he got the reigns." Admittedly, things didn't go quite as planned during those two Gillispie years, but Patterson - like the entire program - was given a fresh start when Calipari arrived in the spring of 2009. Patterson actually had a funny memory of his first meeting with Calipari, mentioning how he had to sell Calipari - not the other way around - on why he should stay in school. As a projected first rounder Calipari believed he should at least consider going pro, but Patterson held his ground. With one year left until he received his degree and more work to do on his game, Patterson told the coach that he wanted to stay (ten years later Patterson is still in the NBA, so it looks like he was right on that one). Of course staying also provided Patterson the chance to do something he hadn't done before - have NCAA Tournament success - and also to do it with the insanely talented group of freshmen that Calipari had brought from Memphis. From the moment that John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe walked in the door, Patterson knew the Wildcats had a chance to do something special - and to compete with the best teams in college basketball. Patterson still remembers that first practice as if it were yesterday. "Just seeing them in practice, seeing John's speed first-hand," Patterson said. "Him going coast to coast. Seeing Eric's athletic ability, he's built like a defensive back, but he can move, he can run, he can jump, he can shoot, he can pass. And just seeing the physical dominance of DeMarcus on the court." "So first workouts, John going coast-to-coast and dunking it on me, DeMarcus dunking it on me, Eric dunking it on me, me dunking it on them, it just felt like the first practice I was like 'Wow, we have something special here. And these kids are extremely talented. 'ven though they were young, they were hungry, they were willing to learn, they were willing to adapt and change to new things and the first workout just showed me all of the things that they could be capable of achieving." Ultimately it wasn't meant to be as the Wildcats lost a heartbreaker in the Elite Eight. It's a game that Patterson told Torres, "I think about it non-stop." Still, even though Patterson couldn't take home the ultimate prize, his junior season is one he will cherish forever. "That junior year, the relationships the friendships, the stories," Patterson, describing the bond he still has with his former teammates. "Even when we see each other now, it's like we're back in the old days." To listen to Patterson's full interview with Torres (he joins around the 47-minute mark), click below. And to download all episodes of the show, including recent interviews with Immanuel Quickley and Davion Mintz, click here.