Villanova Basketball 2022-23 Player Preview: Trey Patterson

Trey Patterson

Hometown: Somerset, N.J.
High School: Rutgers Prep
Height: 6-9
Weight: 225

Hailing from the great state of New Jersey, sophomore Trey Patterson begins his “third” season as a Villanova Wildcat.

To clarify any confusion, the NCAA granted a bonus year to all players during the 2020-21 season, and gave high school athletes the option to enroll early and get a jumpstart to their college careers for the second half of the season, without costing them any years of eligibility.

Patterson took advantage of this rule, electing to graduate from Rutgers Prep a semester early and enroll at Villanova in January 2021. This gave him a six-month head start on his Wildcat career with four full seasons ahead.

In 2020-21, Trey appeared in two games – totaling three minutes of action. While the on-court impact was minimal, it appeared that the extra months of practice instilled confidence within the coaching staff.

On the Talking Villanova Basketball podcast with Jay Wright in May 2021, then Fordham coach Kyle Neptune was asked which of the four freshmen he thought would make the biggest impact and he said, “Trey went through the season already, he knows exactly what he has to do. I think he has a leg up on the other guys.”

The 2021-22 season saw Patterson check in 16 times, including a brief cameo in the final four. Patterson was normally on clean up duties – checking in for the final few minutes of lopsided games. In his appearances, he averaged 3.9 minutes and 0.9 points per game.

It’s very tough to take anything away from Trey’s highlights last season. The sample size is limited since the validity of play in those final few minutes of blowouts can be suspect. Brief season highlights show a player who can score in many ways – posting up, cutting to the rim, and a smooth jump shot.

As the 2022-23 season draws closer and closer, let’s break down how Trey can potentially fit in this team.

Before we begin – let’s address the elephant in the room. Patterson will have a different look this year, taking over the No. 3 jersey as Brandon Slater swaps for No. 34. Trey will be the third player in 11 seasons to wear No. 3, with Captain Slater and Villanova Legend Josh Hart rounding out the trio. Large shoes to fill for the sophomore.

Back to the court.

The younger Wildcats have all shown glimpses of their production during the intra-squad scrimmages. Unfortunately, Patterson has been injured for both events. With essentially no pieces of pre-season data to analyze, we’ll turn to pure speculation for this preview.

What does Patterson have trending in his favor? There are two factors that suggest Trey develops into an important asset for the ‘Cats this year – positional flexibility and program experience.

On paper, the 6-foot-9 forward provides tremendous flexibility for the coaching staff’s desired rotations. Patterson will likely spend most of his time at the small forward or power forward positions, but interestingly enough; he’s tied as the tallest player according to the official team website.

As we look down the roster, its easy to visualize scenarios where Patterson helps unlock this team’s potential by allowing the staff to create whatever lineup the situation requires.

Small-ball scenarios and whenever Dixon/Slater needs a breather? The combination of Armstrong/Brizzi/Daniels/Longino/Patterson could drown teams from the three-point line. (Average height of 6’4 and weight of ~205 pounds)

Wanna get nuts? Fantastic. Let’s play bully ball and send Moore/Patterson/Whitmore/Njoku/Dixon until the next TV timeout. (Average height of 6’7 and weight of ~240 pounds)

These are obviously hypothetical and potentially extreme, but I think you get the point – the lineup combinations could be limitless. Having another piece like him on the bench makes this roster arguably the most flexible and unpredictable Villanova has seen in recent memory.

Another advantage for Patterson is his familiarity with the program. Believe it or not, Trey is the sixth “most experienced” on the roster when measuring semesters on campus. This won’t necessarily equate to playing more minutes, but it’s something that could help as the depth chart takes shape next month.

On the other hand, while he has an advantage in learning the system – he still doesn’t have the on-court experience to give fans confidence in what level of production he can provide. Justin Moore said it himself during at the Blue-White Scrimmage that despite having a lot of guys this year, “we still don’t know what they’re going to be like in a game setting.”

It appears game experience will be a trial by fire exercise for the young Cats, as Coach Neptune has suggested a deeper rotation. The news of Cam Whitmore’s injury only pours gasoline on that fire – since Whitmore was expected to log significant minutes in the front court. Trey could be the largest recipient of these minutes, which will put him under the microscope fast with the Cats having a tough non-conference slate.

For everyone outside of the Davis Center - Patterson’s role is truly unknown coming into this season. Plenty of minutes are up for grabs but with a deep roster, there are many mouths to feed. He has an advantage on the younger ‘Cat contingent with his position flexibility and program experience, but it will be up to him to make the most of it.

One final note – often wonder what practices have looked like recently given the minutes available. There’s an “Iron Sharpens Iron” quote painted in the Davis Center. As this Trey Patterson preview concludes, it’s important to note he’s likely spent the last few months battling with Samuels, Slater, and Whitmore – guys who can pack a lot of iron. With the opportunity ahead, I think Trey will be up to the task.

Best Case Scenario: Trey adopts the next man up mantra and vaults into the “Sixth Starter” role during non-conference play, or becomes a key member off the bench. The dynamic forward subs in for multiple positions, creates matchup problems for opponents, and become a spark plug as Big East play arrives. A fully healthy roster slightly decreases Patterson’s minutes, but the experience gives Villanova one of the deepest rosters in the country. The season concludes with banners to be hung and when fans begin to speculate on a 2023-24 starting lineup, Patterson’s name is in sharpie.

Worst Case Scenario: 200 minutes per game aren’t enough to feed the hungry Wildcats. Inexperience across the board leads to inconsistent results, forcing staff to keep a tight leash on the rotation through non-conference play. Patterson can’t solidify his place in the rotation and once a healthy roster gets pieced together, he’s on the outside looking in. Next summer is no different than this past, with more questions on his role going forward.