By ADAM ZAGORIA
Addison Patterson, the 6-foot-7, 205-pound small forward from Bella Vista Prep (AZ) and Team WhyNot on the Nike EYBL circuit, has reclassified to 2019 and committed to Oregon.
USC and Illinois were among the other schools involved for Patterson.
“Coach [Dana] Altman trusted me to come in and make an impact this year, so I trusted myself and I’m going to challenge myself,” he told North Pole Hoops.
“Oregon definitely has the Canadian history [with players like Dillon Brooks, Chris Boucher and Dylan Ennis] and definitely the effort that they put into getting me,” he told ZAGSBLOG earlier this year. “I really appreciate it that the school is showing that they really want a player.”
Patterson is the latest Canadian to reclass ahead a year.
“Addison reclassified to 2019,” his father, Roderick, told ZAGSBLOG. “Academically he was in a great position and felt there was nothing more for him to prove in high school. He won the Grind Session and was an All-Star in the Chic-Fil-A Championship and a finalist in the Nike EYBL Peach Jam. He felt he was ready for the next level of competition and also gets a head start towards a degree. He’s proven to be a winner and never got caught up in rankings.”
Going forward, Patterson sees himself among the recent line of Canadian stars to reach the NBA. Canada had a record six players drafted in 2019, led by No. 3 pick R.J. Barrett of the Knicks.
“I see myself lottery pick for sure,” Patterson said this spring “I’m still working, I’m still in the lab right now so y’all ain’t got the finished product yet. By the time I’m in college, I’m going to be a killer, my team’s going to be winning. I bet I’m going to be the next one to come out of Canada for sure.”
At Oregon, he hopes to continue the Canadian pipeline of potential NBA talent.
“I’m going to be a coach’s player, just whatever you ask me to do,” he said. “I used to be just a dynamic scorer, didn’t play much defense, didn’t get many boards or nothing like that. Now I’m really trying to expand my game to all aspects and doing whatever the coach and the team needs.”
Oregon’s class is now ranked No. 4 by 247Sports.com. It includes shooting guard Chris Duarte, forwards Patterson, C.J. Walker, Chandler Lawson and Lok Wur and centers N’Faly Dante and Isaac Johnson. The 6-11 Dante committed last week.
Oregon also added UNLV grad transfer Shakur Juiston, New Mexico grad transfer Anthony Mathis and sit-out transfers Eugene Omoruyi and Eric Williams Jr.
Oregon lost Bol Bol, Louis King and Kenny Wooten to the NBA, so the influx of new talent should help offset the losses.
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
And Like ZAGS on Facebook
