Patrick Patterson withdraws from NBA Draft-Official

This offseason just keeps getting better and better for UK basketball.

Today Patrick Patterson has officially withdrawn his name from the 2009 NBA Draft and will return to UK to play his junior year. Larry Vaught is reporting that an official release from UK will come later this afternoon.

Patterson and teammate Jodie Meeks both entered the Draft to get an idea of their stock at the next level. Patterson was seen as more likely to actually stay in, as he was projected as a top 20 pick. Meeks on the other hand is still weighing his options even though many believe he will be hard pressed to sneak into the first round.

Patterson and his family always talked about his goal of getting his college degree, and now it is looking like he will follow through on that since he is on schedule to graduate in just three years.

With Patterson now returning and the prospects for next year’s team looking fantastic, I think UK is going to hit the jackpot and get its two stars back for next season, even though Meeks plans to take full advantage of his workouts with NBA clubs.

This not only helps UK directly with getting to have Patterson on the floor, I have to believe it helps UK’s chances with John Wall. There’s nothing that makes life easier for a point guard than a great post player, as evidenced by the fact that Eric Bledsoe cited Patterson as a reason he came to UK.

Next year is going to be fun.