Adams: Wild's pitch not good enough

If Tennessee basketball player Tanner Wild pursues a career in coaching, he can list "recruiting" on his resume.

Wild gave former high school blue-chipper Patrick Patterson his best shot. It just didn't work out.

That places Wild in prominent company. It didn't work out for Florida's Billy Donovan or Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, either.

Their loss has been Kentucky's gain. After signing with the Wildcats, Patterson quickly established himself last winter as one of the best players in the SEC. He has only gotten better as a sophomore.

He will be UT's primary concern tonight when the Vols take on the Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Patterson's stat line reflects both his ability and versatility. He leads the SEC in field-goal percentage (.709), ranks third in rebounding (9.3 per game), fourth in scoring (18.9) and sixth in free-throw percentage (.787).

None of that surprises Wild, who watched Patterson develop his game firsthand in Huntington, W.Va., where they teamed up to win a state championship when Wild was a senior and Patterson, a sophomore.

However, Wild didn't envision a future college star when he first met Patterson.

"He was 6-8 but pretty frail," Wild said. "And he had a big Afro.

"I had heard all about him (from middle school). But I thought, 'Is this guy really that good?' "

Patterson made another impression on Wild after his first dunk.

"We didn't expect it," Wild said. "Then, he just ran down the court and didn't say anything. He was pretty quiet."

Wild remembers another Patterson dunk, which he saw on television last year against North Carolina.

"He let out a scream after this reverse dunk," Wild said. "I thought, 'Wow, he's changed since high school.' "

Wild and Patterson had become friends as well as teammates by the end of Wild's senior season. A year later, Wild gave his friend his best Big Orange sales pitch.

"I tried to convince him to come to Tennessee," Wild said. "He came on an unofficial visit as a junior."

Patterson made another visit to Thompson-Boling Arena last year.

He couldn't play because of an injury. And his team didn't win.

But he left with a positive impression.

"All that orange, the chairs all the same color, the luxury boxes," Patterson said at SEC basketball media days. "It was beautiful inside."

The favorable impression was formed, in part, by his recollection of the arena before it was refurbished. And he liked the atmosphere as much as the decor.

"I regret not being able to play there last year," said Patterson, who missed the last five games of his freshman season with a stress fracture in his left ankle.

That's why tonight could be especially significant for Patterson. His first game at Thompson-Boling could be his last.

As sad as that might read to Kentucky fans, it's more than some might have hoped for when Patterson signed with the Wildcats. He was a consensus high school All-American with the size and skill that made him an NBA prospect before he ever set foot on a college campus.

Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie had no problem grasping Patterson's NBA potential. But even he was surprised by how advanced Patterson was offensively.

"I don't think he was considered to be a guy who would score like he did in his first year of college," Gillispie said. "He surpassed anything I expected from him (offensively). But you knew he would be an NBA player."

"When?" is the obvious question.

Gillispie's answer is just as obvious: "I wish he could stay here eight years."

Patterson averaged 16.4 points and 7.7 rebounds, and shot .574 from the field as a freshman. His worth was reflected in the games he missed. With Patterson sidelined, the Wildcats lost three of their last five games.

Gillispie probably expected as much. Patterson's mere presence creates all sorts of opportunities for his teammates since opponents rarely gambled on committing just one defender to Patterson.

"What I consider as a great player is someone who is consistent," Gillispie said. "He didn't have a bunch of games where he scored 30 points, but he didn't have many games where he scored four, either.

"And he didn't have a bad day in practice."

As the numbers and highlights accumulate, it's obvious where Patterson is headed. Patterson said he and Gillispie will sit down at the end of the season and discuss the next step in Patterson's career.

The money might prove irresistible. But it's not as though Patterson is itching to leave college.

"I love college," he said. "I love playing college basketball."

And tonight - a year later than Patterson expected - he will finally get to play college basketball at Thompson-Boling.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.