Brady Patterson was fearless in football, and his aggressiveness has been a catalyst for the Rio Rancho basketball squad.
Photo by Lou Novick
boys basketball coach Wally Salata knows he has an ultra-reliable player in standout point guard
Brady Patterson, who is averaging 22.7 points, 4.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game, all team-high marks.
However, Salata is most proud of Patterson for another category he leads the team in: Minutes played. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound Patterson is averaging 31 minutes per game. In the Rams' last six games, Patterson has played the full 32 minutes.
"I haven't taken him out once," Salata said. "And the amazing thing is he doesn't get in foul trouble. To do what Brady has been doing on a night-in, night-out basis is pretty hard to do."
Patterson loves his teammates, but there's no denying the fact that it's incumbent upon him to carry the scoring load in order for his team to have a chance of winning. Despite seeing constant double- and sometimes triple-teams, Patterson has led his team in scoring in all 23 games.
"There is a lot of pressure, but I try not to think about it too much," Patterson said. "I just try to play as hard as I can, and good things usually come out of it."
Despite Patterson's supreme effort, the Rams were 11-12 overall and 2-1 in District 5A-1 play entering Friday's home game against Volcano Vista (Albuquerque).
Patterson enjoyed his best stretch of the season in January, when he scored 30-plus points four times over a five-game stretch. He scored a career-high 37 points in a 61-55 win over Sandia (Albuquerque) on Jan. 28, shooting 9 of 16 from the field and 18 of 23 from the free throw line.
"I got in a really good rhythm and groove, and it seemed like everything I touched was going in," Patterson said. "It was one of those games where I felt like nothing could go wrong."
Patterson gets most of his points by aggressively taking the ball to the basket. Despite not being overly athletic, big or tall, Patterson has an assortment of finishing moves, including runners and floaters in the lane. He knows how to finish, as he routinely challenges taller players near the rim. As a result, Patterson utilizes a number of acrobatic moves while in mid-air to finish.
He uses his body well, and has a keen sense of when to drive and when to pull up for a short jumper.
"Brady scores a lot, but he gets other people involved, too," Salata said. "He's not a selfish player by any stretch. He's always under control, and he's running the offense. I don't know of any other player in the state who has as many responsibilities as Brady does for our team."
Patterson, who is also a standout receiver on the football team, started playing basketball at age 4.
"I thought it was the best thing in the world," he said. "Once I started playing, I couldn't stop and kept wanting to get better. That passion drove me to where I am today."
In addition to being a standout on the hardwood, Patterson has gotten the job done in the classroom, too. He has a 3.92 GPA — "I want that 4.0 bad, but trig (trigonometry) is hard this year," he said — while being heavily involved in his church's youth group.
As a sophomore last year, Patterson was the team's third option, behind two seniors.
"Brady didn't really get to show the type of player he was last year," Salata said. "This year has been his coming out party."
So far, Patterson has put on one heck of a show.
