It’s hard to get the smile off Ron Patterson’s face.

Especially on Tuesday night, when Syracuse jumped into a go-for-broke press that stripped any structure from a game it would eventually win over Virginia Tech. Each down-the-stretch possession was a little more frantic than the last and left a beaming Patterson trapping, clapping and running about the court.

“We weren’t really running anything on offense at the end of the game,” Patterson said. “Just like running and trap, get up and down, get a couple easy buckets, stuff like that.”

But while the pace of the game made Patterson effective, SU head coach Jim Boeheim took a different tone in his postgame assessment of the sophomore guard. Boeheim let loose on his feelings toward Patterson’s jump-shooting ability, saying he could shoot better at 70 years old and that Patterson only plays to give SU five guys on the floor.

Syracuse (15-7, 6-3 Atlantic Coast) travels to play Pittsburgh (15-8, 4-5) at 4 p.m. on Saturday, the first time the Orange will take the court after a self-imposed postseason ban was announced Wednesday afternoon. And even though the season now has a definitive ending, Patterson will look to fit the role his coach his explicitly laid out for him on Tuesday.

“You know Ronnie, unfortunately he believes he can make 3s. I don’t know why he believes that. There’s no reason that he should believe that and he continues to prove every night and every day that he can’t,” Boeheim said after beating the Hokies.

“But he still goes and takes them. He’s got to drive, he’s got to drive, he’s got to make plays. He has to be in the game because the other guy is not playing defense.”

The “other guy” is freshman point guard Kaleb Joseph, whose play in the Orange’s 2-3 zone has landed him a fixed spot in Boeheim’s doghouse. That has left forward Michael Gbinije to handle the ball and Patterson in the backcourt alongside Trevor Cooney, and Patterson’s attempts to draw attention on the perimeter have fallen very short.

Patterson is shooting 17 percent from 3 on the season, making just eight of his 48 attempts. He was 0-for-2 from deep against VT, yet four fast-break layups helped him to eight points, tied for his second-highest total of the season.

And it was the missed 3s — along with the other 38 he’s bricked this year — that set Boeheim off.

“I wish he could make some. I would be happy. It would be a great thing. But after 22 games you have to look at the numbers and say, ‘You know what? You can’t make it,’” Boeheim said, raising his voice, before saying Patterson is needed for penetration on offense and activity on defense.

“… Let’s do that. Let’s stick with that. Let’s do what we can, let’s not do what we think, what we dream we can do. That’s not dreamland out there, it’s reality. Let’s do what you can do and help your team.”

After the game, Patterson said he was done with shooting the ball.

“Never again,” he said while tossing bits of popcorn into his mouth.

When he steps onto the court against the Panthers, Patterson said he’ll focus on driving, getting the ball to Rakeem Christmas and “doing a lot more” than he has in recent games. Even if he’s wide open he’ll resist the temptation to shoot, saying Boeheim will take him right out of the game if he lets it fly.

It’s a hard mindset for a lifelong basketball player, who has always shot the ball when given the chance. But Patterson’s overarching goal is to stay on the court and help his team, which means leaving his jump shot behind.

“I feel like I can (shoot) but I’m just like, ‘Man, it’s not dropping,’” Patterson said, still smiling ear to ear. “I’m going to the rim from now on.”

Published on February 6, 2015 at 5:01 pm

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse