By Alan Lytle
Lexington, KY – Kentucky junior forward Patrick Patterson says after the Wildcats lost to West Virginia in the Elite 8 this past season, he gave serious thought to coming back to UK for one final season. But at a press conference Friday, he told the press it was "time to move on"
Patterson says he's particularly proud that he's on pace to graduate next month before being selected in this year's NBA draft. Analysts say the extra year playing for coach John Calipari served to improve the big man's draft stock.
Patterson almost qualifies as a "grey beard" in this crop of draft-eligible Wildcats. Freshmen DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton, and John Wall have already closed the books on their collegiate careers. In his third and final season with UK, Kentucky captured both the SEC regular season and tournament titles, before falling in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Tournament.