Once Overlooked, Creighton's Patton Becoming A Star
He is near unstoppable in the paint. He gobbles up rebounds like he’s picking apples off a tree (and at seven feet tall, there would be no need for a ladder). He blocks shots, misdirects countless others, is a dunking machine and, from time to time, even steps out to bury the occasional three pointer.
He is a blossoming nightmare for the BIG EAST, a godsend for Creighton and one of the more exciting young players you’ll see anywhere in the nation. Meet Justin Patton, the Bluejays’ freshman big man, who until just a few short years ago was a relative unknown on the amateur basketball circuit.
“He reminds me of Marcus Camby,” St. John’s head coach Chris Mullin said after Patton lit up the Red Storm for a career-high 25 points with nine rebounds in Creighton’s 85-72 victory Wednesday night at Carnesecca Arena. “(He has) great hands and even banged a three. Especially tonight, he looked All-NBA.”
Camby, the former UMass star, went on to enjoy a 17-year career in the NBA with the Raptors, Knicks, Nuggets, Clippers, Trail Blazers and Rockets.
Mullin knows a thing or two about quality players so his endorsement carries considerable weight. But just three seasons ago Patton was an unknown commodity, toiling at Omaha North High School, just a stone’s throw from Creighton’s campus. But by the end of his senior season, Patton, now seven inches taller, turned into a five-star prospect and a top-50 recruit. But Creighton head coach Greg McDermott was the only one who saw the potential early on and kept close tabs on the neighborhood kid.
Now in his first season with the Bluejays after redshirting last season, even McDermott is a little surprised at how far Patton has come in such a short time.
“He might even be surprising himself,” said McDermott, now in his seventh season as head Bluejay. “We saw Justin as a junior in high school (and) to see his growth in just a few short years is incredible. A lot of it is because he loves the game. (But) he willingly takes coaching and his teammates trust him and that’s not often the case with a freshman. But they know they can throw it up 12-13 feet and he’s going to go get it and get them an assist instead of a turnover. He continues to just get better. Nothing surprises me because I’ve seen the potential in him for a long time.”
How much of a problem is Patton for opponents to defend? Well, he came into the game against St. John’s ranked third in the nation in field goal percentage (74.3%) and then proceeded to go 11-of-14 from the field against the Johnnies. And dunks? Yeah, he had five of them to give him 39 jams for the season through just 15 games. That’s already the second-most career dunks by a Creighton player since 2010-11 as he trails only Greg Echenique’s 90 dunks for the school record. Creighton has 16 regular-season games remaining before the BIG EAST Tournament so, Greg, enjoy the record while you still can.
“He’s a big guy, has multiple moves and we didn’t have an answer for him,” St. John’s stellar freshman Shamorie Ponds said. “He’s a great player.”
So how does a 7-0 center dribble and pass like he’s an oversized guard, as he did with his perfect alley-oop pass on a Marcus Foster jam Wednesday night?
“I was a guard (in his younger days) but I wasn’t really that good at shooting. I was just chucking shots,” Patton said with a laugh. “But I got taller and people started telling me I was a post (player) but I didn’t believe it at first. But we worked on those (low post) moves in practice and coach did a great job of putting me in certain situations in drills where I could develop and become the player I am today.”
Patton even comes equipped with a rather cool nickname, “Big Muddy.” He was given the moniker by the father of freshman guard Davion Mintz, who compared Patton to the Missouri River.
Now with all of 15 games under his collegiate belt, “Big Muddy” has scored in double figures 13 times, including his career-best outing vs. St. John’s. But when asked how much more of a ceiling Patton has, McDermott had some rather chilling words for the rest of the BIG EAST.
“Justin’s best basketball is still ahead of him,” McDermott said. “He continues to grow and improve. A lot of it has to do with his work ethic and how he’s understanding the value of competing on a consistent basis. As good as he was offensively the first half (vs. St. John’s), he was equally as good defensively. That wasn’t the case the first five or six games of the season. (But) his low post game continues to develop. His patience down there and his footwork are really off the charts. He’s been a pleasure to coach and he’s obviously a special talent.”
It seems unthinkable now that Patton, with the Marcus Camby comparisons and an explosive start to his Creighton career, had just one lone suitor coming out of Omaha North.
“Creighton. That was it,” Patton said. “They had been seeing me for a long time because I’m from Omaha and I played in their camp for a long time. So they knew me.”
When asked how long it took him to decide to commit to McDermott and the Bluejays, Patton flashed his smile once again.
“Instantly,” he said. “I don’t think it was even 30 seconds.”
So while coaches at brand-name schools across the country are kicking themselves for missing out on a game-changing big man, Patton, as grounded a player as you’ll find, seemed more thankful to Creighton for taking him than the school was for recruiting him.
“I would say the doubt was solely on me like, ‘Was I good enough?’ But then I (grew) seven inches and I automatically qualified for the job,” Patton said laughing. “But I’ve been playing really good and it’s all from feeding off my teammates. You see when the lights go on, Marcus and Maurice (Watson Jr.) are just ready to go. Nothing fazes them, so when I see they’re ready, then we’re ready and that’s been our plan.”
The plan, with Big Muddy in the middle of it, appears to be working quite nicely for the 14-1 Bluejays, currently ranked 10th in the nation. Fifteen regular-season games left. Fifteen more opportunities to see the next big thing in college basketball.
“We’re lucky to have him,” said McDermott in the understatement of the year.