Among the Georgetown recruits in the spring of 1991, none had the numbers of Chicago's Derrick Patterson, who averaged 24 points and nine rebounds as Dunbar High School raced to the top of the public school standings. Patterson chose Georgetown because the Hoyas had a scholarship to give, and the University of Illinois did not.

Patterson started his first three games as a freshman and had a season high 14 points in 15 minutes of action against UDC. By conference play, however, he disappeared from the lineup, scoring just three points and not appearing at all over the final 13 games of the season.

A similar pattern followed as a sophomore. Patterson opened the season scoring 11 points and six rebounds in just eight minutes against St. Leo, but played in just 10 games the remainder of the season and averaged just two points over game over those 10. He transferred at the end of 1992-93 season to South Carolina State, where his numbers picked up considerably. Patterson scored 999 points in two seasons, averaging 17.2 points and 8.9 rebounds. An All-MEAC selection and the MVP of the 1996 MEAC tournament, Patterson led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in 1996, falling to #2 seed Kansas in the first round.

Forgotten at Georgetown, Derrick Patterson was named to the Chicago Public League Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.