Leaving home isn’t easy. Reclassifying and leaving high school a year early and immediately being thrown into one of the premier basketball programs on the West Coast can prove even harder. But details like that often get overlooked, especially when you’re a top-50 recruit with a chance to play significant minutes for the Pac-12 favorites. 

Nothing was handed to Milton, Ontario native Addison Patterson. He’s struggled this year, and he’ll be the first to admit it. But after a turbulent start to conference play, the freshman is finding his way, and for the Ducks, his emergence has come at the perfect time. 

Patterson dominated Canadian competition before transferring to Bella Vista College Prep in Arizona for the 2018-19 season. He made a name for himself on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball circuit, shooting into every recruiting site’s top-50, landing as high as No. 26 in ESPN’s rankings. 

“This kid’s special, really special,” CIA Bounce director Tony McIntyre told FloHoops during Patterson’s recruitment. “He’s not even scratching the surface of his upside. … He sees things coming in slow motion, but he’s got some dog in him and he’s hungry. He’s a lot like a Jamal Murray, Dillon Brooks mix where he’s got a desire to be great and he hates losing.”

In high school, Patterson oozed confidence. Although not the most skilled, his balance and feel helped him become an elite slasher, who often finished ferociously above the rim. His style of play was characterized by intensity and emotion. He competed at high levels on both ends and wasn’t afraid to get in an opponent’s face.   

Patterson looked primed to crack the rotation of an Oregon roster that had been torn apart and revamped in the off-season. 

All went as planned through the season’s opening weeks, highlighted by a career-high 17 points against Boise State. 

As conference time rolled around, things began to deteriorate. The 6-foot-6 combo guard’s minutes became spottier and his confidence began to fade. He stopped attacking the basket, instead settling for out-of-rhythm 3s, and his disruptive defensive plays turned into missed rotations and mental errors. He was afraid to make a mistake, often letting opponents dictate his pace of play.

The high-flying Patterson began to look like a shell of his former self as he watched fellow freshmen C.J. Walker and Chandler Lawson carve out consistent roles. Even the injury-plagued N’Faly Dante found valuable minutes in an already crowded rotation.

Patterson had grasped success, only to see it slip through his fingers.

“Honestly it was hard when I first came here,” Patterson said. “[I was playing] a role [I wasn’t] used to.” 

In the second half of Oregon’s comeback win over Colorado on Feb. 13, the freshman reintroduced himself. Patterson’s hustle plays on the defensive end and dazzling finishes at the rim were met with roars of approval from a raucous Matthew Knight Arena. 

“When coach [Dana Altman] put me in late in the game, I was just trying to bring energy,” he said. 

And energy he brought. 

“Six points felt like 30,” he said. 

Patterson’s vital 12 minutes helped push Oregon over the brink, completing a comeback win over a conference-leading Buffs squad. 

He was the most intense player on the court that night. It wasn’t just because of the big plays, but, rather, what they meant in terms of recapturing his once-lost success.

He wasn’t done, though. Patterson again earned his minutes, providing playmaking on both ends when the Utah Utes came to town three days later. He played 17 minutes — the most time he’s seen since mid-November — racking up 10 points, three assists, two rebounds and two blocks. 

“He’s been working hard,” Patterson’s fellow guard and roommate Will Richardson said. “He’s been staying late every day in the gym.” 

When Patterson came to Eugene, he knew he would have to compete. It’s hard to earn a role on any team as a freshman, much less under Altman on a potential Pac-12 champion. But when the days get shorter and the grind of the season begins to take its toll, it’s not easy to keep pushing. Sometimes, you need a boost. A few weeks ago, Patterson got one when his parents, Rod and Jackie, came to town. 

“[His parents] told him he was just going to have to [work harder] and he’s put more time in,” Altman said. 

Sometimes a familiar face or two is all you need. A piece of home. 

“Everybody on the team is working,” Patterson said. “You have to do extra to separate yourself.”

In recent years, Altman’s teams hit their stride in mid-February. With the overwhelming roster turnover that the past few years have brought, the coaching staff and players have been forced to adapt on the fly. For much of the season, the Ducks have lacked a true identity. That changed after they played the mountain schools in mid-February. 

The Ducks are at their best when they play fast. Their full-court press has become a weapon, wreaking havoc on teams night in and night out, and the abundance of forced turnovers has led to run-outs and easy buckets for the Ducks. 

Oregon is able to maximize its potential when they play four guards at one time, rotating between Richardson, Anthony Mathis, Payton Pritchard, Chris Duarte and now Patterson. 

“It just gives us a different look,” Richardson said of the smaller, guard-heavy lineup. “[It] finds some mismatches when we get stale on offense, gets us going.”

Patterson’s emergence has enabled Altman to truly unlock his team, who again look poised for a late-season run.

Patterson has revitalized his season and helped make the Ducks more versatile along the way as they’ve retaken the Pac-12. The freshman is learning that his family, coaches and teammates always have his back, and most of all, to embrace Altman’s long-time slogan: “Always Us.”