Eastern’s newest basketball recruit, Aaron Patterson, is a player the Panthers hope will pay immediate dividends in their frontcourt.

Patterson, a 6-foot-6, 218-pound forward, has a long wingspan and is considered by the Eastern coaching staff to be an excellent rebounder.

“He’s a very competitive kid, and he should fit in well with the rest of the team,” Eastern coach Rick Samuels said. “He has been a great rebounder, and should add some toughness to this team.”

Patterson spent the last year at St. Catherine Community College in Kentucky, where he averaged close to a double-double with nearly 20 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.

Samuels and the rest of the coaching staff said his numbers prove he will be able to make a smooth transition into Division I basketball this upcoming year.

“He’s a physical presence inside and that is something we were looking for,” Samuels said.

“His numbers speak for themselves, almost averaging a double-double pretty much tells the story.”

Samuels said Patterson might remind fans of former Eastern forward Merv Joseph. The comparison is simple because both have the kind of body to be successful as a post player in the Ohio Valley Conference.

“Some people may remember a kid from about three years ago, Merv Joseph. I think that Patterson reminds me a lot of him, in that they both play strong down low,” Samuels said. “They both have big, old guns and Patterson’s long arms make him play more like 6-8 instead of 6-6.”

The Panthers were able to find Patterson through the connection he had established with Eastern assistant coach Jack Owens.

Eastern will be looking to replace center Jan Thompson, who didn’t score much in his senior year but was instrumental for the Panthers rebounding and defensive efforts. Eastern hopes that Patterson will help the frontcourt along with Jesse Mackinson.