Patrick Patterson Press Conference Notes

Notes from the 1:00 p.m. press conference:

- Just announced that Coach Calipari will not be at the press conference
- Patterson announces that he will be back at Kentucky next year
- He feels that Kentucky will be a contender next season
- He knew all along in his heart that he wanted to stay at Kentucky
- He did not want to waste the NBA teams' time by setting up workouts
- Felt he would have gone in mid-first round
- Patrick wants to earn his college degree and that's a key factor for his decision
- He wants to focus on ball-handling, foot speed and jump shot
- Sees the team competing for a national title
- He knows he can be good at facing the basket and driving
- He is on pace to obtain his degree in three years
- Hopes to have an opportunity at the NBA after junior year; if not, he'll return for senior year
- Patrick's parents fully support his decision
- He will work on his left hand skills
- At first he wanted to go to NBA; had a change of heart after thinking about it
- He feels that his skills are not at the point he wants them to be
- "Coach Cal will help me with the skills that I need"
- He wants Meeks to make his own decision and not be affected by Patterson's decision
- Looks forward to playing with Daniel Orton, Eric Bledsoe and Darnell Dodson
- NBA money did not impact his decision at all; he hopes money will still be there later
- He doesn't know if he would be back without the coaching change or not
- He has developed a nice relationship with the coaching staff and new recruits
- "It's a family-type atmosphere, already..."
- He is excited about getting all the attention from the fans; Stuff like getting mauled at the mall
- Calipari was behind him 100%, either way
- He has considered the possibility of injury but will do what it takes to keep his body 100%