Patterson Talks: About Thriller, Chuck Hayes, and Goals For The Season

I know, I know, with football season two weeks in and basketball stories about Enes Kanter and Eric Bledsoe abound, not to mention an entirely new class to get to know, why are we still talking about players that have left the program?  I’m not really sure, but in this case, it’s because it’s Patrick Patterson, and everyone loves Patrick Patterson.  If you don’t… well, I don’t want to be you when Buster finds out.

So on the Houston Rockets official page, they have a pretty good interview with the former Kentucky big man, where he discusses a number of interesting topics…

From watching Thriller as a kid –

PP: It actually started off when I was growing up. The first horror movie I saw wasn’t even a horror movie — it was Michael Jackson’s Thriller. My father was outside and I was in the basement where it was dark. I had this video cassette of Michael Jackson’s Greatest Hits, and I was watching all of them when the next thing you know Thriller comes on, and when the people rose from the grave, I ended up jumping behind the couch and hiding behind it because it was so scary. But then I kept watching it until I finally toughened up, and ever since then I’ve loved horror movies.

To adjusting to NBA life –

Back in college, everything was scheduled: you had classes in the morning, then you have to lift, then you’ve got practice, then study hall and you don’t get done with everything until about 8 o’clock at night, so you’re pretty much busy the whole day. So one of the things that’s really shocked me so far is the amount of time I have to myself — so much free time, so many extra things you can do and so much time to be by myself.

To Chuck Hayes –

When I first got here, I knew that Chuck was someone I wanted to be my mentor, someone I wanted to look up to and look forward to as someone to get advice from. When I got here I talked to him right away just because he went to Kentucky and we have that history together.

And his goals for the season –

This season I want to make it to the Rookie-Sophomore Game. I want to make it to the playoffs and make it to the championship. For myself, at some point I want to start a game. Whether it’s just one game or more, I do want to start at some point. But that’s only going to come with hard work and just proving to the coaches that I’m ready to play and that they can rely on me.

Overall it’s an enjoyable read, especially in the context of seeing one of our own’s hard work rewarded.  The other draft cats were special, don’t get me wrong.  But Patterson was one of us.

(Check out the full interview here, or just go to the comments and pretend you read it.  Your call.)

Go Cats, Go Rockets.