Cal Wrong, Patterson to Stay?

Excerpt from The Advocate-Messenger:

Tywanna Patterson thought it was just going to be another ordinary day, or as ordinary as days could be since the University of Kentucky lost to West Virginia almost two weeks ago in the NCAA Tournament.

Instead, while she was at the mall in Huntington, W.Va., on Wednesday night, she started getting text messages, voice mails and phone calls from friends congratulating her on her son, Patrick, leaving UK for the NBA.

“I thought, ‘What are you talking about?’ Then I found out UK released a statement saying Patrick and the four freshmen are leaving for the NBA and will declare for the draft,” said Tywanna Patterson Wednesday night. “I said, ‘Really, nobody told me.'

She tried to call her son but could not get him to answer his cell phone. Next she called DeWayne Peevy of the UK sports information office. He told her the statement from UK “wasn’t official” but that coach John Calipari had released a statement that the freshmen along with Patrick would be declaring for the NBA draft and leaving UK.

Once her son called her back, he told her he still intended to think about it a “week or two and then make a decision” just as they planned.

“Me personally, I think it is Cal’s way to get recruits to commit and wants to make sure they know John (Wall), DeMarcus (Cousins), Daniel (Orton) and Eric (Bledsoe) are gone along with Patrick,” Tywanna Patterson said. “Pat didn’t know they were sending that statement out tonight.”

“We are going to do it right if Patrick does leave. That is how Patrick is. He will have a press conference and tell people what is going on. It will be his day and his decision. That’s the way it should be and not the way this was handled.”