BleedGopher
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Per Marcus:
On a spring afternoon in northeast Minneapolis, Lu'Cye Patterson sat in a weight room surrounded wall-to-wall with pictures of himself and fellow Minnesota Prep Academy alums now at the Division I level.
His father co-founded the Minneapolis prep school. Patterson helped put it on the basketball map.
The 6-2, 210-pound fifth-year senior was never recruited by the Gophers out of high school, but after stops at Missouri State and Charlotte, he transferred home for his final college season.
"It was kind of like a no-brainer for me to spend my last year here," Patterson said. "And help get Minnesota back to where it's supposed to be."
The Gophers brought more excitement to their raised floor with last season's 19-win NIT team, but a roster exodus put the responsibility on newcomers like Patterson and a few returners to keep the momentum going.
Patterson talked to the U's leading scorer — Dawson Garcia, a fellow Minnesotan — about building the home state Big Ten program into a contender. Patterson also felt a strong connection to fourth-year Gophers coach Ben Johnson, a family friend going way back.
"He's been a friend for 35-plus years," Patterson's father, Lucas, said of growing up with Johnson in Minneapolis. "We had been together for a long time playing on the same [youth] teams and all of that."
Even before the Gophers coach saw a familiar name in the transfer portal, Johnson witnessed the young Patterson's journey and growth from grade school to through four years of college.
"He's a kid who I've known almost his entire life having grown up with his dad," Johnson said. "I just really love his skill and IQ. Being a coach's kid, to get a guy with his feel and skill level coming off a good year is only going to help our program and what we're trying to do."
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
On a spring afternoon in northeast Minneapolis, Lu'Cye Patterson sat in a weight room surrounded wall-to-wall with pictures of himself and fellow Minnesota Prep Academy alums now at the Division I level.
His father co-founded the Minneapolis prep school. Patterson helped put it on the basketball map.
The 6-2, 210-pound fifth-year senior was never recruited by the Gophers out of high school, but after stops at Missouri State and Charlotte, he transferred home for his final college season.
"It was kind of like a no-brainer for me to spend my last year here," Patterson said. "And help get Minnesota back to where it's supposed to be."
The Gophers brought more excitement to their raised floor with last season's 19-win NIT team, but a roster exodus put the responsibility on newcomers like Patterson and a few returners to keep the momentum going.
Patterson talked to the U's leading scorer — Dawson Garcia, a fellow Minnesotan — about building the home state Big Ten program into a contender. Patterson also felt a strong connection to fourth-year Gophers coach Ben Johnson, a family friend going way back.
"He's been a friend for 35-plus years," Patterson's father, Lucas, said of growing up with Johnson in Minneapolis. "We had been together for a long time playing on the same [youth] teams and all of that."
Even before the Gophers coach saw a familiar name in the transfer portal, Johnson witnessed the young Patterson's journey and growth from grade school to through four years of college.
"He's a kid who I've known almost his entire life having grown up with his dad," Johnson said. "I just really love his skill and IQ. Being a coach's kid, to get a guy with his feel and skill level coming off a good year is only going to help our program and what we're trying to do."
Lu'Cye Patterson looks to lead Gophers men's basketball the way he led at Minnesota Prep Academy
When Lu'Cye Patterson hit the transfer portal, ready to leave Charlotte, there was only one place he wanted to play.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!