It was a little over nine years ago.
Patrick Patterson, part of Huntington High's basketball "dream team," had 14 points and seven blocked shots against South Charleston in the Class AAA championship at Charleston's Civic Center.
Patterson, West Virginia's player of the year as a junior, had graciously given way to O.J. Mayo, who transferred home before heading to USC and the NBA. Mayo finished with 41 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists that day.
Yet with 2:33 left, it was Patterson who was summoned to the bench by Highlanders coach Lloyd McGuffin. The Civic Center crowd, many of whom followed HHS as if it were a rock band, rose and gave Patterson a standing ovation. It was the third consecutive state title for the team and the big man.
"Back in those days I was the tallest kid," said the 6-foot-9 forward. "The team we had held an unfair advantage with the caliber of players and the coaching.
"We had athleticism, quickness, jumping ability, shooting ... we had everything to our advantage. We had the best in the state. No one could match us."
These days that's not the case for Patterson's team. Yet his team, the Toronto Raptors, are playing LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA's Eastern Conference title.
Patterson was part of West Virginia's best-ever high school team. He was part of college basketball's second-best ever program at Kentucky. (UCLA has 11 championships.) And now he's helped the Raptors to their first conference championship appearance in franchise history.
Patterson, now 27, was a five-star recruit out of high school. He was, in fact, a key figure in Kentucky's restoration to prominence. He was recruited by Tubby Smith, then signed by Billy Gillispie and also played for John Calipari.
In 2010, Patterson was taken with the No. 14 pick of the NBA draft by the Houston Rockets. He also played for Sacramento before landing with Toronto in 2013.
Big picture, Patterson must be considered one of the finest athletes to ever come out of the Mountain State. He's in his eighth NBA season. He's logged almost 10,000 minutes of playing time. And he exemplifies the state's blue-collar work ethic.
Oh yeah, and he's humble.
"In the NBA, you have guys taller than you, stronger than you, faster than you and more athletic than you are - if not better than you are," Patterson said before Game 1 of the Eastern finals on Tuesday. "You have to figure out a way to outplay them, whether it's with your hard work and effort or whether it's being a better teammate and impacting the game any way you can. Just take advantage of what you have to offer.
"Back in high school we were dominant. I don't feel anyone could touch us on the court at Huntington High. Today, in the NBA, things are completely different."
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In Toronto's Game 7 victory over Miami, Patterson was hailed as the unsung hero, a dominant defensive force. Go online and you can find a video with Marv Albert describing how Patterson bullied Luol Deng on the glass.
"I'm just someone who is going to work hard," Patterson said. "I bring whatever is needed to the game, whether it's defense, whether it's communication, whether it's energy, whether it's spacing the court. ... Every night it's something different, but I try to stay in my own lane and make some type of impact over the course of those 48 minutes.
"I want to be someone my teammates can rely on, someone they can trust, someone they can believe in to hit a key shot or make a small play on offense or defense."
It's working. Patterson has consistently improved his game and has been rewarded. He's currently in a three-year deal with the Raptors worth $18,150,001 - all guaranteed. He has an annual average salary of $6,050,000. This season he's earning a base salary of $6,268,675.
"Back in the Huntington High days, I was this tall, skinny, frail kid catching lobs and dunking on people," Patterson said. "At Kentucky, I began putting on weight. Before I knew it, I was a center playing my freshman year at the University of Kentucky using jump hooks, post moves and jump shots. I didn't really shoot 3s. I stayed in the post and guarded my own.
"In the third year, Coach Calipari introduced me to the perimeter. I was shooting 3s and jump shots and guarding wing players and some guards.
"In the NBA, I'm a [power forward] and [small forward] guarding [power forwards] and being able to spread the floor and shoot perimeter shots - 3s every now and then. I'm still, though, in the post with my back to the basket and guarding larger, stronger guys."
The toughest to guard?
"The toughest was [7-foot-6] Yao Ming, just because of the height and weight differential," Patterson said. "There was really nothing I could do because his butt was basically to my chest. There was nothing I could do to stop him. I just hoped he missed.
"[San Antonio's] LaMarcus Aldridge is a phenomenal player with a high IQ. He can get to any shot he wants in the post and hit it on a consistent basis. Outside the post, you have [Golden State's] Steph Curry and [Cleveland's] Kyrie Irving, smaller guards with tremendous handles who get their shots off at any time. Then there's [New York's] Carmelo Anthony and [ex-Los Angeles Laker] Kobe Bryant. Those two could score at will."
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Patterson said of the players on the old Huntington High teams, he mostly stays in touch with Mayo, now with the Milwaukee Bucks, and Bruce Senior.
He remains in touch, though, with West Virginia at large. He hits the Mountain State each summer, visiting Charleston, Huntington and Morgantown.
"I always drive by my old house," Patterson said. "I always drive by my old neighborhood. I see my elementary and high schools. I see my favorite restaurants. I make a conscious effort to get back every summer."
If you caught that, yes, he visits Morgantown, despite turning down WVU for Kentucky back in the day. And, yes, he catches ribbing for it.
"It's off and on," Patterson said. "If they recognize me, I definitely do get an earful. People always ask me, 'Why wouldn't you go to Morgantown? Why would you go to [Kentucky] when [WVU] beat you in the Elite Eight?' And, granted, they beat us. I still love West Virginia though. I've got friends and family that live all throughout the state."
Patterson, in fact, seriously loves West Virginia and sees himself as an ambassador of sorts.
"Everywhere I go, people ask me where I'm from," said the Raptors forward. "I tell them West Virginia. Nine times out of 10, they say, 'Where is that?' It's still sad people don't know where West Virginia is, but I'll wear it in my heart. If I had a T-shirt, I'd wear it all the time. I'm very proud of where I came from. I'll be proud to be a part of West Virginia forever."
Patterson continued.
"It's something I don't take for granted or take lightly," he said. "I love the state; I love the people. I miss everyone back there and it's a good feeling knowing I come from such a great place that many people don't know about. I'm always happy to tell them about the state and what it has to offer. After that, they are always like, 'Man, I've got to get out there one day to see it.' It makes me happy knowing I'm doing well for West Virginia and people are proud and happy for me."
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So what's it like to be an NBA player? Here's one (Mountain) man's take:
"It's like a circus," Patterson said. "You enjoy the show. When the lights go on and you have all the people looking at you, you have an opportunity to perform, to do something you love, to put on a show in front of thousands. What people don't see, though, is the hard work behind that. There's the preparation. There's the travel, the packing, the long nights, the long flights, the early-morning wakeups, the shootarounds and practices. Everything is on such a tight schedule. Then there's the business end. Trades are being made; people are being cut. You have new people joining the team. New coaches. New [general managers]. It's pretty much a circus. But it's worth it. You're doing what you love. You're getting paid to do what you love. And you're playing in front of millions who love the game as much as you.
"It's definitely a blessing. I thank God every single day He's allowed me to do this, to play basketball. And overall, it's just fun. Teammates become your family. Their families become your family. It's great. You look at all the guys in the league and they're just smiling, loving the game and having fun. That's what I try to do every night."
Not many are giving the Raptors a shot against James and the Cavaliers. Cleveland has swept into the conference finals. Toronto has had to win two seven-game series.
"Everyone is fine," Patterson said. "Granted we've played a lot more games than they have, but you still get your rest. ... At the end of the day we're all professionals. We work out vigorously through the summer for this moment. We'd work two three-a-days and then we'd play pick-up games in the summer. You're not complaining. To make an excuse, no, we won't be doing that."
Patterson said he'll be mostly guarding Kevin Love and Channing Frye and then James on some possessions.
"We haven't gotten this far without talent and the ability to work hard," Patterson said. "With our superstars Kyle [Lowry] and DeMar [DeRozan] and the rest of the team and coaching staff, we're here for a reason: We win. We don't want to stop now."
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If you've watched Toronto, you know the team's biggest boosters is hip-hop artist Drake, a Canadian. There's the artist's "Hotline Bling," his "One Dance" and his Raptors.
"He's one of those guys that never let fame get to him," Patterson said. "I didn't know him before he blew up, but in talking to his friends, he's the same guy as before the fame. He's still hanging out with the same group he grew up with. He's always given back to Toronto and Canada. He's a very humble guy.
"He's a very fun guy to be around. He's a jokester. He's a trendsetter. If you didn't know he was Drake, you'd just think he was an average cool guy - someone you could go to Dave & Buster's with and joke around [with], have a pizza and play video games. He's not your typical A-lister."
Drake is just part of Toronto, the city, the culture. The Raptors plaster the slogan "We The North," which probably gives many chill bumps. But Patterson has warmed to it, much as he did his home state.
"It's amazing," he said. "Not only to have a city behind you, but an entire country. Fans contact us from Ottawa, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, wherever they might be to tell us how proud they are and that they support us. They want us to stay hungry, but say thank you. It's amazing. It's a lot of fun seeing the fans and their smiling faces giving us so much love.
"They've been awaiting this kind of success for such a long time. I'm so happy we're able to give them that."
Indeed, these days, Toronto is experiencing a little slice of (almost) heaven.