Aug. 19, 2009

LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the second straight season, Patrick Patterson has been named to the Top 50 watch list for the John R. Wooden Award All-American Team and Player of the Year trophy.

The list is composed of 50 student athletes who, based on last year’s individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor.

Patterson is UK’s leading returning scorer and rebounder from last season, averaging 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds in his sophomore campaign. He finished the season shooting 60.3 percent from the field, 11 th best in the nation.

The 6-9 forward led UK with 15 double-doubles last season, earning first team All-SEC honors (SEC Coaches), as well as NABC Second Team All-District honors. He was the only SEC player to rank in the top five in scoring and rebounding, while becoming the 10 th fastest player to reach UK’s 1,000-point club, doing so in his 58 th game.

In late December, the Wooden Award Committee will release the Midseason Top 30 list, followed in March by the National Ballot, consisting of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA.  The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round during the NCAA Tournament.