Gophers men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson landed a former local prep standout in Charlotte transfer and Minneapolis native Lu’Cye Patterson on Friday.
The 6-2, 205-pound guard from Minnesota Prep Academy announced his decision to end his career in his home state after an official visit to the U. Patterson has one year of eligibility remaining.
Patterson spent two seasons at Missouri State before transferring to Charlotte in 2022. He has made 82 starts in his career, including 56 games in Charlotte over the past two seasons. He averaged 14.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and shot 35% from three-point range for the 49ers as a junior.
Last season, Patterson was selected to the All-American Athletic Conference second team after having eight games with 20 or more points, including a season-high 27 points against East Carolina. He also scored 16 points in a loss to No. 17 Florida Atlantic and 14 points in a loss to Duke.
The Gophers return just one guard from last season in Mike Mitchell Jr., who led them in three-point shooting. In the backcourt, Johnson signed Brennan Rigsby from Oregon, Caleb Williams from Macalester and Femi Odukale from Portal New Mexico State. Cherry senior and four-star guard Isaac Asuma is also in the 2024 recruiting class.
