The Creighton men’s basketball team has its first commit for the 2015 recruiting class.

On Tuesday, Omaha North center Justin Patton accepted an offer to become a Bluejay. He’s the first local player to accept a scholarship since Antoine Young and Josh Jones arrived on campus in 2008.

Omaha North hosted a tournament on Friday, and The Creightonian caught up with the 6-foot-11-inch center after he helped his team to a win by taking over down the stretch.

Patton is a late-bloomer, bursting onto the scene with a very strong summer. But his potential has been evident since he was still in grade school. 

“The first time [Creighton] ever talked to me was in 8th grade,” Patton said. “Len Gordy, an assistant coach, he talked to me and said I’m going to be something good in the future.”

Three years later, Gordy’s prediction is starting to come true. Patton has been an under-the-radar prospect, garnering little national interest in terms of offers, but Creighton took notice.

The Bluejays’ interest peaked at their high school team camp in mid-June, which Patton participated in with his teammates.

“I talked to them the day before [the Creighton team camp] … and they started coming after me pretty hard,” Patton said. “[Greg] McDermott liked the way I played and was pretty excited.”

Patton went in to meet with the coaches on Tuesday afternoon and was offered a scholarship, and he committed that same day.

“Creighton’s the best school,” Patton said about why he committed almost instantly. “I want to play right down the street. My family can watch every single game and everything.”

Patton is long and athletic with a soft touch around the basket. Similar to former Kentucky center and first overall NBA draft pick Anthony Davis, Patton began his high school career a little over 6 feet tall before shooting up more than seven inches – and he’s still growing. Growing so rapidly made things difficult for him, but he was able to retain some of the guard skills he learned as a younger player, making him a unique player with plenty of upside – perfect for Creighton’s system.  

“I like to spread it out,” Patton said. “I like when the frontline gets to come out a little bit … I like Creighton basketball.”

Patton is playing with the Omaha Sports Academy Crusaders for AAU and with his North team during June summer ball, and he’s been very impressive. He’s cleaning the glass, blocking shots when opponents venture into the paint, dunking on defenders and handling the ball like a point guard in transition.

Patton has a good feel for what he needs to do to make an impact at the next level. At 200 pounds, he is going to have to continue develop physically, and he also said he’s continuing to polish up the ball skills that make him so versatile.

“I’m working on dribbling,” Patton said. “I want to get everything down. I also want to get some more meat on my bones so I can be good down there in the post because when you get to the next level it’s pretty hard.”

The improvement Patton has made in the last few months alone bodes well for his future as a Bluejay. He could turn out to be a steal for Creighton.