UK Hoops reels in transfer from top point guard in 2017 class

Chasity Patterson, who was the No. 1 ranked point guard and No. 4 overall player in the class of 2017 according to ESPN, has announced she will transfer to Kentucky.

Patterson is a 5-5 Houston, Texas native that spent her freshman season and half of her sophomore season playing for the Texas Longhorns.

During her freshman campaign, she averaged 2.8 points in 7.6 minutes per game as her team made it the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. However, she’s only played in one game this season, scoring six points in nine minutes while shooting 2-4 from the field and 1-2 from three-point land to go along with two rebounds.

The little to no playing time is probably a huge reason why Patterson decided to transfer and she’s a huge pick up for Matthew Mitchell and Co.

Prior to her arrival at the college level, Patterson was unstoppable at North Shore High School in Houston. She finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 3,177 points and participated in the 2017 McDonald’s All-American Game, where she also won the 3-point shooting contest.

During her senior season, she averaged 28.7 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game and 4.9 assists per game. Her incredible season helped her accrue a variety of honors, including being named a Naismith Trophy Second-Team All-American, WBCA Coaches All-American and a semifinalist for the Naismith High School Player of the Year award.

Matthew Mitchell had nothing but praise for the young star, according to UK Athletics.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Chasity Patterson to our program and cannot wait to get her on campus,” UK head coach Matthew Mitchell said. “Chasity is an athletic guard with incredible play-making abilities on both ends of the court. She’s a high-energy player who possesses a winning pedigree having won 125 games in high school. Chasity fits our system perfectly and when you couple that with the opportunity to compete at the highest level here at Kentucky, it was a perfect match. We are confident that her experience will be a valuable asset to our team.”

But, due to NCAA transfer rules, Patterson will have to sit out the spring and fall semesters of 2019. She won’t be eligible to play for Kentucky until after the fall semester next December.

Patterson is expected to join the team following the holiday break and will be eligible to practice with the Wildcats immediately.

Hopefully, she brings some more firepower to a terrific UK Hoops team and lives up to her five-star hype.