Pitt Basketball: Patterson bids for playing time, fits Dixon's mold nearly perfectly
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Cameron Wright, a freshman guard from Benedictine High School in Cleveland, drives to the basket against Northwood's Tracy Parks in Pitt's opening exhibition game Sunday at the Petersen Events Center. -
Lamar Patterson is one of the small forwards battling for spot in Pitt's rotation.
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Lamar Patterson won't win any slam-dunk contests at Pitt. He'll leave that to Gilbert Brown and Jonathan Moore, the two best athletes on the team who can bring fans to the edge of their seats with their above-the-rim acrobatics.
Brown and Moore happen to be Patterson's competition at small forward, but don't eliminate Patterson from consideration for playing time based on his modest athletic ability. Patterson, a 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman from Lancaster, has the types of skills coach Jamie Dixon covets.
Patterson is versatile, smart and a gifted passer, three things that make him a candidate to crack the rotation.
"He has a great feel for the game," Dixon said. "He is playing really well."
Patterson had been penciled in to start Pitt's 104-62 exhibition victory against Northwood Sunday afternoon, but he sprained his left ankle in practice Saturday and was held out as a precaution. He is expected to be ready for the Nov. 8 season opener against Rhode Island.
He showed his versatility early last season, playing in 10 non-conference games before an ankle injury led to a medical redshirt. He played small forward and power forward and did not look overwhelmed despite the fact that he was 17 when he reported to Pitt last summer.
Patterson scored 10 points in a victory against Eastern Kentucky and made two 3-pointers and scored six points in a loss to Texas.
He performed well despite being out of shape. He came to Pitt weighing 240 pounds. Dixon described his body as "soft." Patterson worked hard over the offseason to drop 19 pounds and is hovering around the weight Dixon has prescribed for the season.
"When I first got here, playing pickup games I was so winded," Patterson said. "Now I can keep up and play to the best of my abilities. You have to be in shape to play college basketball. I came into the program out of shape, so that was a bad start."
First Published November 1, 2010 12:07 am
