Patterson picking up major attention

Avery Patterson, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound shooting guard/small forward from Iowa Western Community College has seen his stock increase significantly throughout the last month. Kansas coach Bill Self traveled to Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Wednesday to check in on Patterson. The talented sharpshooter has three official visits planned at this time, but will a visit to Kansas take place in the near future?

"Yes, Coach Self was here to see Avery," said Iowa Western assistant coach James Bankhead. "KU is very interested in him, but a lot of that depends on what happens with Brandon Rush. Coach Self said that Avery is the best shooting guard out there, so they are very interested in him right now.

"Avery is the type of player that can read screens extremely well and can really shoot the ball," he added. "He is very athletic and every shot that he takes he feels that it's going in the basket. Avery is a very confident basketball player."

Patterson, the No. 56 ranked junior college prospect in the class of 2006, is ready to take the next step forward in his recruitment. Having already taken an official visit to Wyoming, three additional visits have been planned.

"Avery is taking a visit to St. John's this weekend," said Bankhead. "He will then travel to Miami-FL next weekend and then finish up with a trip to Cincinnati. Coach Tom Izzo is supposed to be coming in next week to see Avery. Oh, Mississippi State is another school that is very interested.

"I would say that a visit to Kansas is very possible," he added. "Once Avery returns from his three visits, he will have one official visit remaining."

After spending a few minutes with Bankhead, Jayhawk Slant spent a little time with Iowa Western head coach Jim Morris.

"Coach Self and Avery are going to talk after a couple of his visits are complete," said Morris. "They want to see where things stand after Avery has taken a couple of visits.

"I do believe that KU would still be very interested in Avery even if Brandon Rush decided to stay at Kansas. That might be a concern for Avery if he stayed, but I do believe that Kansas would still be an option."

Patterson is originally from A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C. He averaged 28 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals a game. He was a two-time player of the year along with twice being named all-conference and all-state.