Maybe now that he's committed to the University of Pittsburgh, the whispers about Lamar Patterson will stop.

But that's probably too much to hope for.

Though he's only 16 and his game is still developing, Patterson already has his share detractors among those brave souls who post anonymous critiques on internet message boards.

The 6-5 junior, who gave an early verbal committment to Pitt Thursday night, has clearly done enough to impress the massive list of college programs that have been chasing him for the last 18 months.

But he hasn't done enough to satisfy some of the self-appointed basketball experts on pennlive.com's basketball forum.

"Lamar Patterson," wrote one recently. "Is over-rated."

"Until Lamar stops settling for those outside shots instead of taking it to the hole, McCaskey won't be as good as it can be," posted another detractor.

In fairness, most of the comments on Patterson are positive, and the majority of his critics are willing to conceed that he's a talented player.

Unfortunately, you don't need internet access to be a moron.

During McCaskey's 76-54 victory over University City Thursday night, Patterson went through a uncharacteristic off night. He shot just 3-for-12 from the field and scored just nine points, a season low.

Realizing his shots weren't falling, Patterson decided to concentrate on setting up his teammates and crashing the boards. He did well on both counts, racking up eight assists and 10 boards.

But every time he passed on an open look to hit a teammate, you could hear some muttering coming from the home stands.

It's ridiculous.

Are we really going to criticize a player for being unselfish? Is that what this SportsCenter-driven sporting world has come to?

And besides, his numbers look fine from this vantage point.

In last night's 64-60 loss to York, Patterson was his usual, dominant self, pouring in 26 points. Coming into the week, he was tied for the Lancaster-Lebanon League scoring lead with a 22.3 points-per-game average.

Though there are no official numbers on him for rebounds and assists, it's safe to say Patterson has the potential for a triple-double almost every time he takes the floor.

Then there are the things he does that don't show up in the scorebook.

He draws at least two defenders — and sometimes three or four — whenever he makes a move toward the lane. That opens up the floor for his teammates, and with snipers like Franklyn Thomas, Leontae Turner and Javon King waiting on the perimeter, chances are the Tornado will make defenders pay for collapsing on him.

Like many players his age, Patterson is prone to the occasional defensive lapse. But with his imposing wing span, he can alter almost any shot — if he doesn't block it outright.

Still, that doesn't seem to be enough to appease those fans who show up expecting him to drop 50 points every night.

Patterson admits he's heard some of the whispers about him. But he refuses to buy into the human highlight reel persona some fans want to project on him.

"I've heard people say I'm too unselfish," he said. "But that's my game. I've always looked to get my teammates involved. I've said it before: you can't win with one person. You win by playing as a team.

"Now, if we start losing, or we get to a point in the game where I feel like I have to step up, then I'll do it. But I'm not going out there looking to win it all by myself."

Patterson has shown the ability to flip a switch and take over when neccessary. Last week against Hempfield, he was held to 19 points in regulation, but exploded for nine of McCaskey's 10 points in the four-minute overtime period as the Tornado won, 75-72.

Then there was the career-high 40-point effort he turned in during McCaskey's 83-64 win over Conestoga Valley on Dec. 17.

Now that Jerren Harris is back in the lineup with his eligibility issues settled, Tornado coach Steve Powell can start using players in the roles he had planned for them.

Harris gives McCaskey an inside presence to go along with Patterson's star power and the outside shooting of Thomas and Turner. It will force teams to alter their strategy of focusing on Patterson alone.

Once that happens, perhaps Patterson will start putting up the kind of numbers his critics are craving.

But if it doesn't, he won't care — as long as the wins keep coming.

"As long as we're winning, I don't care what people say," he said after Thursday's victory. "And right now, we are winning. So they can say what they want."

CONTACT US: kschweigert@LNPnews.com or 291-8779