LSU Basketball Spotlight: Jalyn Patterson

Jalyn Patterson is a winner. He played his high school basketball at Montverde Academy in Florida where the basketball powerhouse has won back to back national high school championships. En route to the 2013 championship, Jalyn hit the game winning three pointer to give Montverde the title.

Patterson is a 6'0" 175 guard who comes to LSU with a strong work ethic that has been praised by veteran Tigers. He has a smooth jump shot and clean, quick release. While he played point guard in high school, he may be a better fit at shooting guard for LSU.

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Patterson is the unknown of this recruiting class. There's very little film on him and he did have some off-season surgery that kept him out of the gym for a while. Still, he is an intriguing prospect for the Tigers, although it may take a year or two for him to fully integrate him into the rotation.

He was found by the staff while recruiting 2015 commit Ben Simmons. The two Montverde players had good on court chemistry in high school and everyone looks forward to seeing them play together again next year.



What to expect from Jalyn Patterson:

Jalyn will likely get some time on the court early in the season, but will he still be getting those minutes come SEC play?

While that remains to be answered, I think the answer all depends on his shot. After Gray and Hornsby, LSU does not have a guard they feel comfortable with shooting the ball. If Patterson can play solid defense and shoot the basketball, he could earn some time this year.

Patterson has the tools needed to be an important part of LSU basketball, but it may take a year or two of development to get there. This year, I'd be surprised if he was able to average 5 minutes per game, but I think Coach Jones sees the potential in Jalyn.

Geaux Tigers!

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