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Kentucky Wildcats Morning Quickies: Patrick Patterson Edition

News and commentary from around the Big Blue Internet. Great life advice from Patrick Patterson to incoming NBA Draft Class. More.

By Glenn Logan

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Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Patrick Patterson pens a letter to the incoming NBA Draft class, and boy, is it ever special. Rather than describing it, I’m going to give you a tiny taste, but trust me when I tell you that you’ll be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t read the whole thing:

The thing I can’t preach enough is patience. I’ll tell you right now that you’re not going to get as much playing time as you think you should. If you’re drafted high and you don’t get that playing time, you tend to get mad at the world. You may work hard for a period of time, but it won’t last. You’ll lose that focus and ultimately that mindset that made you successful enough to make it to the NBA.

You might think you’re too good to be sitting on anybody’s bench, but try to get that ego in check. Otherwise, you’ll stop showing effort in practice, which will lead to even less playing time. Then, when you actually are put in game situations, you won’t feel prepared because you haven’t been practicing at the highest level. Finally, when your first contract is up and you haven’t proven anything, no other team is going to want you. This is the cycle so many young guys fall into.

Patrick is talking to you like a Dutch uncle, rooks. Read it. Believe it. Live it or change your dream.

I want to point out right here that everybody on UK’s team right now, especially Derek Willis and Dominique Hawkins, need to read this letter. Then read it again, and maybe a third time for good measure.

This letter is the truth. If you want it, go earn it and stop living in a world of self-entitlement, because trust me, you’re the only inhabitant of that world.

Hat tip: Kentucky Sports Radio.

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Your Quickies:

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  • CoachCal.com: New Wildcats shine in high school showcases. We’ve all heard all the stuff about Skal Labissiere and Isaiah Briscoe, but here’s what Tyler Ulis had to say about Charles Matthews:

    "Charles is a great defensive player," Ulis told members of the media in February, while also noting that Coach Cal recruited Matthews before himself. "Offensively, he can jump, he’s athletic, he can score the ball and I can’t wait until he gets here."

  • Following the meeting with Coach Cal, Cheik Diallo thanks all the coaches who visited him.

    Here’s my thinking: Give me Diallo, and everybody else can have the rest. Yeah, I love Brandon Ingram, but Diallo is the guy who can turn next season’s Kentucky team from a contender to a genuine threat. He’s like a 6‘9" Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and he beats everybody down the floor on every possession, blocks shots, gets rebounds way out of his area. He is the kind of guy that can inspire players to play their best just because of his obscene effort.

  • 4-star JUCO Mychal Mulder is set to visit Kentucky. I like our odds of getting this one, and we do need more shooting. Hat tip: Aaron’s blog.

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