Mon, Jul 06, 2009
ez access
Subscriber services | Subscribe now
Custom clipper icon
Patrick Christopher
• California, guard
• Age 19, sophomore
• 6-5, 215 pounds
• High School: Christopher averaged 21 points, nine rebounds and three assists his senior year at Dominguez High School in Compton, Calif. He was ranked the No. 44 overall recruit in the country and the No. 6 player in California by Rivals.com. The summer between his junior and senior years, Christopher roomed with UA guard Nic Wise at a Nike basketball camp; the two made each other laugh and still trade text messages on their Sidekicks.
• A hip-hop career? Christopher sings and raps over hip-hop beats produced by, of all people, 6-foot-10-inch center Ryan Anderson. Center Jordan Wilkes and guards Nican Robinson and David Liss also appear on the songs for the untitled group. "As of right now, we have a couple singles," Christopher said. "Maybe we'll have a YouTube release somewhere down the line."
GettinG better
The Pac-10 has not just been dominated by freshmen. While Kevin Love and O.J. Mayo grab most of the headlines, many of the conference's best teams have reached a new level because last year's players simply improved. Here is a look at the Star's All-Improved Team partway through the conference season:
Aron Baynes
Last year This year
5.2 ppg 12.1 ppg
The 6-foot- 10-inch, 270-pound Aussie has turned into Washington State's hoss. He handles the plethora of star post players in the conference.
Patrick Christopher
Last year This year
5.2 ppg 17.3 ppg
The Cal guard has already played more minutes this season than he did all of last year and is an outside threat to complement star forward Ryan Anderson.
Taylor Rochestie
Last year This year
4.6 ppg 9.3 ppg
The former Tulane guard, displaced by Hurricane Katrina, uses his left hand to weave through Washington State's otherwise-rigid offense and baffle opponents.
Russell Westbrook
Last year This year
3.4 ppg 12.1 ppg
Because of a knee injury that has slowed UCLA point guard Darren Collison, Westbrook is emerging as the one of the best guards on one of the best teams in America.
Nic Wise
Last year This year
1.9 ppg 7.7 ppg
A slimmed-down Wise has earned a starting spot as the UA's point guard and has dominated at times this season with confidence lost since high school.

UA Sports

Arizona At California • 6 p.m. • FSNAZ

What he did last summer

Time with stars makes Cal guard a happy camper
By Patrick Finley
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.19.2008
As internships go, it was a pretty good summer.
Cal shooting guard Patrick Christopher, a star recruit disappointed by his freshman year performance, surrounded himself with the best basketball players he could find during the off-season. He served as a counselor at three basketball camps — the LeBron James King's Academy and LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron, Ohio, and the Vince Carter Skills Academy in Orlando, Fla.
When the United States Olympic basketball team set up training camp in Las Vegas before hosting the FIBA Americas tournament, Christopher was there, hanging out with lifelong family friend Tayshaun Prince and buddy Kevin Durant.
Not a bad couple of months.
"Those guys, they live some pretty good lives," Christopher said.
The star power seems to have rubbed off. After starting only 14 games and averaging 5.2 points per game last year, Christopher has scored 17.3 points per game this season, the largest jump in the Pac-10. He is the second-leading scorer on the Golden Bears, who host the UA today at 6 p.m.
The improvement is no coincidence, Cal coach Ben Braun said.
"It lets them know that they belong, that the separation isn't that great," he said. "A lot of times you learn some of the players you think are great or know are great — whether they're college or NBA players — that they didn't just get great overnight, that they worked.
"Patrick's been at some of those workouts. He's watched those players train. He picked up the habits they had, worked out with some of them. When you do that, you realize how those players got to be where they are."
At the basketball camps, Christopher served alongside some of the nation's best college players, including Stanford's Brook and Robin Lopez and Gonzaga's Jeremy Pargo. The counselors play pick-up occasionally but spent most of the day running younger players through drills. And occasionally rubbing elbows with NBA players.
"A lot of it is motivation, seeing where these guys are and how hard they work," Christopher said. "Seeing that is a great motivation for a college basketball player like myself."
Christopher, a sophomore from Compton, Calif., does not have to worry about playing time this season. Monday, the Golden Bears decided to redshirt small forward Theo Robertson, who took longer than expected to recover from April hip surgery. Freshman small forward Omondi Amoke had right calf surgery in September, and likely will not play this season either. Christopher averages a team-high 35.1 minutes per game.
"I always knew I could compete at a high level. It was just about opportunity, and that's a lot of what I'm getting now," Christopher said. "I'm the only 'two' guard at my school right now.
"Opportunity plays a big role, as well as confidence. A lot is expected of me now. I've been waiting on this opportunity for a while."
Oregon coach Ernie Kent called Christopher a classic example of a player who seizes his chance. On Jan. 10, Christopher torched the Ducks for 21 points, making 8 of 16 shots and 5 of 9 three-point attempts. Kent said this week he had no idea Christopher was such a good long-range shooter. He compared Christopher's hyper-energetic game to that of ASU star guard James Harden.
"He might be on course to be the most improved player in the conference," Kent said. "Maybe in the country."
Wildcat newslettersARIZONA• sign up now for U of A basketball coverage
Get Arizona Daily Star home delivery and SAVE BIG!
Go Back