Small-town basketball player brings big success to CU men’s basketball
There are 400 people, a grocery store, a corner store and not a stoplight in sight.
Welcome to Ringwood, Okla., home of Colorado men’s basketball freshmen Caleb Patterson.
Patterson, standing at 6 feet 11 inches, makes up one of the five freshmen on the 2007-2008 Colorado roster.
Like all freshmen, Patterson is adapting to college life, but on top of textbooks and going to class, Patterson is also memorizing playbooks and preparing for opponents on the court.
“Caleb is adapting to his surroundings and just everything that freshmen in college have to do,” Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik said. “And man, he is adapting fast up here.”
Before basketball in Boulder, Patterson played on the hard-wood for Ringwood High School, a school with just 100 students in all.
“It was a good experience; sometimes I wish I (could’ve) played bigger, but I’m happy where I’m at,” Patterson said. “I would always see a lot of double and triple teams back there.”
And despite Ringwood’s size when displayed on a map, the high school All-American nominee quickly made a name for himself among coaches around the NCAA.
“My high school coach knew a lot of coaches, and when I was playing in Kansas City for the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union), my coach had contacted some people to come down and watch me,” Patterson said. “Colorado offered me a scholarship, and when I visited (Boulder), I knew I wanted to be here.”
Soon after Patterson accepted the scholarship to play for the Buffs, he met with Bzdelik.
“I tell him to get his head under the rim,” Bzdelik said. “We’re helping him improve on defense and rebounding, because he is significant for our team’s success this year and the years to come.”
Averaging 2.8 points and just fewer than two rebounds per game, Patterson, for now, comes off the bench for the 5-3 Buffaloes.
“We are picking our spots to put him in,” Bzdelik said. “He goes in there, and he’s knocking down shots for us.”
The freshman admits he would love to play in a professional game, but for now, he just wants to get Colorado back into the NCAA Tournament.
“I want to help contribute to this team wherever I can,” he said. “A good season and ‘March Madness’ would be nice.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Brent New at brent.new@thecampuspress.com.
