Recruiting Report: Patrick Kelly (2019)
Moving across the country at 16 years old is hard for any kid, let alone a star basketball player. Adjusting to a new culture, getting used to a new school and making new friends are hard enough as it is; but throw in learning a new system, gelling with new teammates and fitting in a new role while also trying to make a name for yourself are all hurdles that aren’t easy for a kid who just turned old enough to drive a car.
For Patrick Kelly, who was a consensus top 10 player in Arizona before moving to Lynchburg, VA last summer, the transition is something that he’s been getting used to one day at a time.
“Academically it’s a lot tougher, because I’m taking junior classes even though I reclassed to be a sophomore,” Kelly said. “Athletically, the game is much quicker. I feel like on the West Coast there’s a lot more movement with the ball, where as on the East Coast there’s a lot more athletes, so I’ve had to adjust to the speed of the game.”
Kelly moved to VA and enrolled at Virginia Episcopal School, a boarding school in Lynchburg that won the state championship two seasons ago and has produced numerous college players including Sacha Killeya-Jones (Kentucky), Justice Kithcart (ODU) and Adam Sledd (Western Kentucky). He joined the team around the same time that 2018 Jaelin Llewellyn did, who’s currently ranked #2 in the Vantage Hoops rankings and is widely considered the best Canadian born point guard in the class of 2018.
While Kelly had to find his role early in the season, the 6’8” sharp shooter really got it going late in the year, and was a big reason that VES made a run to the state semifinals where they fell to eventual state champs Blue Ridge. That momentum carried over into the summer, where he’s been one of the top contributors for the Team Loaded VA 16U team.
“With VES I’m more of a power forward that shoots the trail three and rebounds,” he said. “With Team Loaded, I kind of play and do a little bit of everything. I have to rebound, make good passes, stretch the floor and play multiple positions.”
While it’s been somewhat of a struggle to get his name out there in Virginia, the mix of his play late in the high school season and early in the AAU season has caught the eye of a number of high major programs, according to Kelly himself.
“ A lot of ACC schools such as UVA, NC State, Georgia Tech have all reached out to me, but I know I have to keep getting better to be at that level.”
What’s different about Kelly is that instead of trying to move up positions and play on the perimeter, he feels that with some time in the weight room, he projects as a mismatch step out four man at the next level. The high academic student (4.0 GPA) is not only smart on and off the court, but he’s also thinking ahead on where he’ll fit best at the next level.
“I need to improve my strength, that’s probably my biggest weakness, because then I’ll be able to have a better game in the post. I feel like I have my shot, but I need to polish my inside game.”
“Right now I think I’m more of a three man, because of my strength right now but when that comes I think I’ll be more of a step out four man at the next level.”
As for when the time comes, Kelly says he’ll be considering schools that give him the best opportunity, along with the best fit for himself.
“I think it depends on the depth chart. If they have a lot of power forwards that are 6’8” I’ll probably have to reconsider, but I think a team that will fit my style where I can knock down the trail three and rebound.”
Now that he’s on the map and found his niche, along with his high academics, expect to see a recruiting frenzy moving forward as he continues to improve and produce in a number of ways.