Head coaches flocking to Pattersons home

Five-star forward Patrick Patterson is back from his first official visit and now he is preparing for four head coaches to make presentations in his Huntington, West Virginia home this week.

Patterson, a 6-foot-8 power forward, visited Florida last weekend and came home impressed with Billy Donovan's program after an up close and personal look at the National Champions.

"It went pretty good," Patterson said of his time in Gainesville. "I got to chill with the team and they showed me around campus. I liked hanging out with coach Donovan and coach (Donnie) Jones and coach (Lewis) Preston and everyone else. I met a lot of people."

One of the highlights of the trip was the ring ceremony during halftime of the Gators romp over Central Florida. Patterson was there with Florida commits Nick Calathes and Chandler Parsons.

"It was great," Patterson said. "We were standing on the sidelines and watching them when they got their rings. The crowd just went crazy. There were a lot of people there. When they showed this highlight video on the big screen, the place was just so loud."

Even with an exciting weekend in The Swamp, the always even-keeled Patterson said things have not changed in his recruitment.

"Things are still the same pretty much. I want to see the others and compare it with them," Patterson said.

A flurry of in-home visits will take up this week's schedule at the Patterson residence. Coach K will make an in-home visit on Monday. Tubby Smith is on Tuesday. Skip Prosser will check in on Thursday and Donovan will be in town on Friday. Patterson said Virginia is coming next week and possibly West Virginia.

"I'm going to take my time with it. I'm not really in a rush to decide or make a decision. I want to see all of the campuses first and talk to the coaches some more," Patterson said.

Patterson's next official visit is to Duke on Sept. 29. He will travel to Lexington, Kentucky to see Smith and his crew for UK's Midnight Madness.

Amidst the busy schedule ahead of him, Patterson is also dealing with some big news around town. Patterson and his Huntington team are the two-time defending state champions in West Virginia. Recently, the team found out O.J. Mayo, one of the nation's top players, is joining the roster. Patterson said he is looking forward to lining up with Mayo this season.

"They are talking about us playing Marshall (University) now," Patterson said. "Everyone is saying that we could give them a good game. It's going to be exciting."

So is the race for his signature.