5-star recruit Patterson commits to UConn
She is, in the words of her AAU coach Richard Jeter, an “athletic freak” whose game is a mix of LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
And soon, she’ll be headed to UConn.
The Huskies landed another prized recruit Saturday, securing a commitment from Indiana five-star prospect Ayanna Patterson.
Patterson, a 6-foot-2 wing from Homestead High School (Ind.), chose the Huskies over Louisville, Indiana, Notre Dame and UCLA, where her brother, Andre, played. She’s ranked by ESPN as the No. 3 player in the Class of 2022.
The Huskies offered Patterson in June, not long after they began recruiting her.
“Getting a call from a coach (Geno Auriemma) that’s in the Hall of Fame is what you dream of,” Patterson told Hearst Connecticut Media before her announcement. “Really, there’s one name in women’s basketball that stands out as far as college recruitment and everything.
“Basketball, it speaks for itself with the ... national championships and the women that he has in the WNBA now.”
Patterson, 17, is UConn’s second commit in the class, following California post Isuneh Brady, who announced her decision in December 2019. The 6-3 Brady is ESPN’s No. 5 prospect.
This past season, Patterson, a junior, averaged 21.8 points and 11 rebounds for Homestead.
“You could argue she’s the best athlete in her class,” said national recruiting expert Shane Laflin. “There’s videos circulating, she dunks the ball with two hands, off her feet, off the dribble. A legit dunk.”
Jeter, her coach with the Ohio United, took it a step further, calling her the best athlete in all of women’s basketball. Yes, seriously.
“It’s just crazy. I haven’t seen anybody,” Jeter said, “that can take off and dunk off of one leg and then also dunk off of two, and not barely make it, but cock it back and just throw it in. And then turn around and run a 100-yard (sprint) like a track star.
“It’s like the Greek Freak and LeBron mixed together. She gets the defensive rebound, from one end to the other, it’s really hard to stop her. You’re not going to block her shot. That’s not happening.”
Jeter is married to former UConn star Tamika Williams, the first No. 1 recruit in program history and a member of the 2000 and 2002 national championship teams. Williams finished as the Huskies’ all-time leader in field-goal percentage at 70.3, which is also an NCAA record. She is currently an assistant coach for Ohio State.
“It’s so rare when you have a school like (UConn) recruit a kid,” Jeter said. “It’s a special situation. Just being a McDonald’s All American or ranked (sometimes isn’t enough). You’ve got to be a little more special to get that kind of interest. A handful of people get that.”
It wasn’t hard to sell Patterson on choosing the Huskies, given their illustrious history of winning championships. Since she was growing up, Patterson has idolized the program, particularly stars Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart.
Patterson hasn’t been able to visit Storrs due to COVID-19 restrictions, but she did make the short trip last month to Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to watch the Huskies play Butler.
“UConn is global everywhere. They came to play Butler (on Feb. 27), the stands were packed. Everywhere they go, they’re going to pack the stands,” she said. “In Indiana, they’re a big name, too.”
What else appealed to Patterson?
“Geno’s a straight-shooter,” Jeter said, relaying a conversation Auriemma had with Patterson’s father. “The thing that her dad really liked about him is he’s very honest. He pretty much said, ‘Hey, I’ve coached 100 of you. Look at the résumé. If you want to be a pro, I have more than everybody.’ It wasn’t in an arrogant way, it was just, ‘If you want to be a pro, I can prepare you.’ ”
Jeter also noted Patterson hates losing.
“Ayanna has cried after every loss,” Jeter said. “I don’t think she’s going to cry much if she decides to go there. She won’t be crying too often. She just wants to be great.”