Former Syracuse center William Patterson announced his transfer to High Point yesterday. The Brooklyn, NY native spent just one season in an Orange uniform but redshirted during his freshman year.
Patterson becomes the eighth Syracuse player to leave Central New York from last year’s roster. The list of transfers includes Maliq Brown, Justin Taylor, Quadir Copeland, Peter Carey, Benny Williams, and Mounir Hima. Guard Judah Mintz also left Syracuse to enter the NBA Draft.
Patterson didn’t have an impact on Syracuse since he never played a game with the Orange. However, he was positioned behind some impact frontcourt personnel for SU at the start of last season. He found himself low on the depth chart behind experienced players such as Naheem McLeod, Brown, Carey, and even Hima.
When McLeod got hurt, there was speculation that Patterson might make an appearance in a Syracuse uniform and forgo his redshirt status. Ultimately, that wasn’t the case, as Brown ended up playing the back half of the season as the starting center, while Taylor filled the void as a bigger forward.
With Patterson’s departure, Syracuse’s frontcourt remains mostly the same. Look for the Orange to roll with Eddie Lampkin Jr. as their starting center, with McLeod mixing into the rotation. Additionally, Delaware transfer forward Jyare Davis was a significant addition for SU. Chris Bell is also an option to play bigger if necessary.
The downside of Patterson’s departure is the loss of an extra center on the bench in case of injury. Only two true centers remain on Syracuse’s roster: Lampkin and McLeod. If one of them gets hurt, SU could face the same problem it did last season.
Overall, Patterson has four years of college basketball eligibility remaining, and it was likely the right move for the 7-foot-2 center to seek playing opportunities elsewhere rather than being stuck behind a potentially prominent frontcourt next season.
