Patrick Patterson – the #1 remaining uncommitted recruit and perfect fit to make Virginia a powerhouse – has stated that he’s close to cutting his current list of potential schools to three. Currently, he’s listing Kentucky, Florida, D*ke, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wake Forest.
It was widely considered by the recruiting experts and pretenders (I’m in the latter category) that Double P’s final three would likely be the SEC schools and D*ke, and some speculate that Virginia might be falling just short of the final cut.  Well, the CW just got hit by a natural disaster. The earthquake that is Tubby’s departure from Kentucky has shaken things up.Â
First off, we now have confirmation that UK was in the top three before Tubby was run off. And we now know that the Cats are likely not in the final three anymore:
Patterson took the news hard, according to his mother, Tywanna, who used the words “hurt,” “sad,” “shocked” and “mad” to describe her son’s reaction to the news.
“Like a family member had died,” she said.
Patterson’s mother said her son hoped to talk to Smith last night and said Kentucky would have been in Patterson’s final three before Smith took the Minnesota job yesterday. When asked about UK’s chances now that Smith is gone, the player’s mother responded, “It doesn’t look good right now for Kentucky. That’s all I can say.”
Patterson’s mother also had some choice words for the Wildcat faithful, saying, “If that’s how fickle the fans and boosters are, they’re not loyal. It looks like Tubby was a little more loyal to his staff than Kentucky was to him.”
Safe to say they liked Tubby, no? And that they’re not too jazzed about how he was treated. So, it’s now not looking good for Kentucky: between their way-too-rabid fan base (remember, they just ran off one of the best coaches in college basketball) and the current disarray of their coaching situation, sounds like the Patterson family is pushing UK down the list. And even if Kentucky bring in someone new that Patrick and his mother consider family again, what’s the guarantee that the new coach won’t be run out of town by PP’s junior season? I mean, if the Wildcat faithful (or is it faithless?) ran a coach like Tubby Smith out of town with torches and pitchforks, then his successor should definitely look into renting, not buying, a place to live in Lexington. From Ms. Patterson “fickle” quote, the fanatic factor may have irreparably hurt Kentucky’s chances.
And what to make of the high-pitched speculation that Billy Donovan might be courted for the UK job? First off, the coaching doubt bleeds over to another school in the top three.  Florida’s stability quotient wavers, and that’s not good in the race for Patterson. And while some believe that a move by Billy to UK might get that school back in the sweepstakes, I wonder if UK’s reputation in the Patterson household has been so damaged by what happened to Tubby that it won’t matter if Phil Jackson himself became head coach with Gisele Bündchen as his assistant. So, Billy’s move to UK might not help Kentucky get Patterson, though it would surely drag Florida way down the list.
And where would that leave everything? Virginia and D*ke rising, Kentucky falling (and dragging Florida down with it the longer the Cats flirt with Billy). And, with the Coach of the Year, JPJ, and closer proximity to Patterson’s West Virginia hometown, I really like our chances against the VLF.Â
The earthquake has opened up an opportunity for Leitao. Time for him to seize it.
