Early Life
Patterson had a troubled family life, both parents and one of his sisters battled drug addiction, and his father spent time in prison. As a youth, he lived mostly with his mother, Charlene Patterson, who eventually died of a heart attack when he was at the University of Cincinnati.
After hearing of her death while on a road trip, he rejected an offer to fly home and spend time with his family, instead staying with his team for the game and scoring 37 points. "My mother would have wanted me to play," Patterson later explained.
Ruben started off his college basketball career in the small town of Independence, Kansas at the Independence Community College. He later transferred to the University of Cincinnati.
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