College basketball player Ron “Buss” Patterson is returning home to play for IUPUI after two years of playing for Syracuse University. Patterson, now a father, wants to be closer to home.
“I’m happy I came back but it’s some people at (Syracuse) ‘Cuse I miss, but I’m happy I’m back home,” Patterson said.
A former basketball player and graduate from Broad Ripple Magnet High School (BRMHS), Patterson said he is the leading scorer in BRMHS history and was recognized as the Most Valuable Player each year. At Syracuse, Patterson was a shooting guard and a point guard but since he has been gone, he hasn’t been able to see his son much.
Although Patterson planned on moving closer to home, he said he wasn’t sure exactly where he would play. On Mother’s Day, Patterson said he signed the agreement to play with IUPUI.
Jason Gardner, IUPUI basketball coach, said at the end of the season they try to reach out to transfers from Indiana.
“There’s so many kids here in the state of Indiana that are really good that end up going out of state, and we want to be able to get them when they do decide they want to transfer,” Gardner said.
Gardner also thinks it is important for Patterson to play in his hometown.
“I think he wanted to be able to have his family see him play and I think that’s important,” Gardner said. “He’s very involved with his family.”
Since Patterson has been back, he’s already begun spending time with his new teammates.
“I started working out with them a couple of weeks ago,” Patterson said. “They’re cool people and I can relate to them a lot.”
Jordan Pickett, a point guard for IUPUI, played against Patterson in Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) during high school, but is still ready to play basketball with him.
Although Gardner said bringing new players to the team will always change the team dynamic, he thinks Patterson will bring a lot to the table.
“We want guys that want to win; we want guys that want to play together; we want guys that want to put team first and Ron’s that type of guy,” Gardner said.
Pickett agrees.
“We don’t want any selfishness on the team, but we also want confidence as well,” he said.
However, Patterson, Gardner and Pickett have the same goal for IUPUI: to win.
“(My hope is) just to get this program up, get some wins and keep rolling,” Patterson said. “We are going win!”
