RED SPRINGS — Glenn Patterson Sr. couldn’t wait to get home from basketball practice nearly 15 years ago following a strenuous workout with his players. He wanted to tell his wife, Constance, that their three-year-old son had a future on the hardwood.

“I went inside and said, ‘This kid might be something special,’” Patterson Sr. said. “She said, ‘Well how about that.’ She didn’t think I was serious.”

Glenn Jr. may have been barely walking, but the future Red Springs point guard was already draining jumpers in between timeouts and water breaks. As team manager by default, the toddler watched from the bleachers as dad coached, learning the basics of basketball while trying to behave during drills.

“He’s always been a player,” Patterson Sr. said. “I would be just waking up when Glenn was a kid and he would be dribbling in his room at 6 a.m. He used to cry and cry at 1-and 2-years old about going to practice with me. We finally let him come along a year later.”

Patterson Sr. recognized a star in the making and figured it was the perfect time to practice his son’s interview skills. As a joke, Glenn Jr.’s first press conference came in the form of a one-on-one, tell-all session in front of a camera. Dad wore the credentials.

“When Glenn was 4, I videotaped him talking about offense,” Patterson Sr. said. “He showed me an up-fake, a behind-the-back dribble and a jump shot. I couldn’t stop laughing. I couldn’t believe all he knew.”

The rest, as they say, was history.

The gym rat who admired Vince Carter growing up has blossomed into a three-year starter for the Red Devils and transformed into one of Robeson County’s top college prospects. Playing for Dad brought out the critics, according to Glenn Jr.

“People think I can play the way I want to play,” he said. “They think I can shoot when I want to shoot. It’s not like that. We have a coach-player relationship on the court and a father-son relationship off.”

Patterson Sr. says he stayed out of the picture on the basketball end during elementary school and wanted his son’s coaches to be the biggest influence. It wasn’t until Glenn Jr. dusted off his sneakers as a third grader before Dad used his second job as a recreation manager to his advantage.

“The county didn’t normally allow third graders to play in the sixth grade recreation league,” Patterson Sr. said. “I got them to make an exception with Glenn and he was the leading scorer. He was dropping 19 points per game on sixth graders.”

While it has been a joy to coach his son, Patterson Sr. says family ties on the court can sometimes turn sour and end in frustration.

“Too many parents try to live their sports dreams through their kids,” he said. “I told my wife years ago that if she ever saw me show Glenn preferential treatment to let me know.”

Turning it around

This season has been anything but sour for Red Springs as it heads into the holiday break on a four-game winning streak. The Red Devils started 2-6.

“We learned a lot of lessons the first few weeks,” Glenn Jr. said. “We made mistakes and now know how to prevent those things from happening again.”

Patterson Sr. says his team’s brutal non-conference schedule was necessary. There was a method to the madness that included road trips to Pinecrest and Trinity Christian as well as three games in the David Currie Classic.

“A lot of people though I was crazy playing those teams,” he said. “I tried introducing my players to good teams but I knew the odds of winning were slim. We matured as a group early on and that has helped us be successful now.”

The Red Devils captured their first Robeson County Shootout title last week, due in large part to Glenn Jr.’s most valuable player performance. The 5-foot-9 transition star is averaging 21.5 points per game this season and made 10-of-12 free throws in the fourth quarter to down Fairmont in the final. Red Springs’ run to the championship included a statement win over 4A power Jack Britt, the victory put a stamp on the team’s never-say-die attitude.

Glenn Jr. said a pre-tournament text message from teammate Larry Brown Jr. served as bulletin board material throughout the week.

“We heard people didn’t believe in us, didn’t think we were for real,” he said. “We wanted to go out and prove Red Springs is good. We used all the negative comments as motivation.”

His proficiency at the charity stripe can be attributed to a knack for attacking the rim and his ability to get a shot off against defenders nearly twice his size.

“I try to get my teammates involved early in the game,” he said. “After that, I try to score. We practice free throws for an hour in practice every day. They’re easy and that’s where I get most of my points.”

His scoring prowess and quickness has garnered the attention of Clemson’s Oliver Purnell and The Citadel’s Ed Conroy. Conroy called Glenn Jr. after Friday’s victory over Fairmont and congratulated the rising senior on his performance.

“He just told me my team did a great job winning its first shootout title,” Glenn Jr. said. “He calls every week to check up on me. It would be fun playing there. I like Clemson too and how they run the floor.”

Patterson Sr. says with the talent returning from last year’s team, the Red Devils should be in contention for the conference championship this season and a force in the state playoffs. After all, his second set of eyes keeps the offense moving.

“Glenn has everything you could ask for in a point guard,” Patterson Sr. said. “He’s been around my system for a long time and knows what I expect at that position. It’s been an enjoyable ride.”