Feb. 25
February 25, 2009Donna White
February 27, 2009
Coming out of Vandebilt Catholic High School, Deshawn Patterson knew he wanted to stay close to home – sort of.
During his tenure with the Terriers, he wowed crowds with his performances on a weekly basis as he led then-coach Rafe Blades’ team with 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists per game during his four-year career.
Also in that time, Patterson notched over 2,500 career points, was named a four time All-District and two time All-State selection, and was a member of the Louisiana Select Nike Travel AAU team with current Georgetown star Greg Monroe and LSU freshman Storm Warren.
His numbers earned him interest from several schools including hometown Nicholls State, SMU, Murray State and Central Arkansas.
However, Patterson felt more comfortable in a more fast-paced style offense and after watching the Southeastern (La.) Lions run a similar style to what he ran with the Terriers, Patterson made the decision to enroll in the Hammond school instead of the hometown Colonels.
A mere two hours from home, Patterson entered the 2008-2009 season not expecting to see much playing time being a true freshman.
But surprisingly seven games into the season, Patterson received more than just playing time; he received a spot in the Lions starting rotation.
When Lions’ star Kevyn Green’s eligibility ran out 14 games into the season, the door was open for Patterson to get more playing time.
Two games later, on Jan. 17, he was put into the starting lineup against Sam Houston State and has started every game since.
“It’s a great opportunity for me,” the freshman said. “It’s up to me to make the most of this opportunity.”
As of Monday, Patterson has started 14 of the Lions games, averaging 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
It’s not the most impressive numbers, but the 19-year-old knows it’s something he needs to work on as he develops into a complete basketball player.
In his return home against the Colonels two weeks ago, Patterson finished with two points on only one-for-four shooting.
Surely not the performance he wanted in front of his family and friends who were in attendance.
“I know I can help a little more than I’m doing right now,” he explained. “I need to finish baskets. It’s my time to step up. They are looking for me to produce and I have to do that. Whatever I have to do I’m going to do to try and help my team win.”
But even as Patterson, a criminal justice major, adapts to the college game, his work ethic hasn’t gone unnoticed. Fourth-year Southeastern head coach Jim Yarbrough said Patterson brings intensity to the game that most first-year freshmen lack.
The biggest adjustment to Patterson’s game is going to have to be on offense. Yarbrough said Patterson makes smart reads but still struggles shooting at times. He expects that to get better with experience.
“He won’t force too many threes, but he’s made some for us this season,” Yarbrough said. “He does a great job with the shot fake and gets in the paint where he can do some things. He’s got some work to do, but he’ll get there.”
However, that turned out to be a good thing for the Lions.
“If he didn’t have that deficiency, he wouldn’t be playing here. He’d be someplace bigger,” the coach said. “He’s a wonderful kid, and we are really lucky to have him.”
“I’m having fun and I’m enjoying my college career so far but I’m more concerned about finishing the regular season strong,” he explained. “I just want to get to the tournament. We know we can do damage because we’ve played with every team in the conference. We just have to finish games off.”
Former Vandebilt Catholic star DeShawn Patterson has worked his way into the Southeastern Lions’ starting rotation. Even though he’s pleased, Patterson said he is more concerned about finishing the season strong and hopes to get the Lions in the Southland Conference Tournament. * Photo courtesy of SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA UNIVERSITY
