Minnesota Basketball: Why Lu’Cye Patterson is the most important team transfer for 2024-25

While this isn’t a program known for their basketball acumen, Minnesota still has reason for disappointment in recent years. Ben Johnson took over as the head coach three years ago and the results haven’t come quite yet. Last year was a step in the right direction, as the Golden Gophers won 19 games and finished 9th, ending up just under .500 in a tough and tight Big 12. However, is year four when things really come together for this program?

It’s worth noting that things will be quite a bit different next season, with Cam Christie in the NBA, assist-king Elijah Hawkins off to Texas Tech, and a few other departures of note. Fortunately, a few important pieces do return, as leading scorer Dawson Garcia is back for his senior year after averaging nearly 18 points a game as a junior. Combo guard Mike Mitchell is another starter that’s back in Minneapolis, with reserve forward Parker Fox also back for another year.

There were a lot of holes to fill in the offseason, and the Transfer Portal allowed the Golden Gophers to rebuild their lineup. Johnson got size in a pair of power forwards, landing Trey Edmonds III from UTSA and Frank Mitchell out of Canisius. Former New Mexico State guard Femi Odukale could be an intriguing addition while former Oregon point guard Brenan Rigsby helps replace those departures in the backcourt.

However, the biggest addition of the offseason is another aid in the backcourt. Lu’Cye Patterson is a native of Minneapolis who returns home after a pair of seasons each at Missouri State and Charlotte. Gaining experience in three different leagues, Patterson showed promise with the Bears as an underclassman before established himself as one of the strongest guards in the AAC. This past year saw him average 14.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while knocking down 35% of his 3-pointers.

It was a season of uncertainty for Charlotte, who entered a new conference with an interim coach, but Patterson was a major part of their 3rd place finish and relative success. Named Second Team All-AAC, he was one of the better offensive players in the conference and showed competence running the point. Patterson has solid turnover numbers and could be part of the equation that replaces Hawkins, while his scoring will certainly be a bonus.

The expectation is that Garcia remains the best player at Minnesota and he’ll almost certainly be the team’s leading scorer again. With all the changes in the offseason, things will look different but what exactly does this mean? Having both Mike Mitchell and Patterson in that backcourt is great news for the Golden Gophers, who made an effort to bolster that depth in the offseason. The big issues come in the lack of reliable options in the frontcourt behind Garcia.

Anyways, the Golden Gophers shed some very talented players but didn’t sit on their hands. Patterson could end up being a steal in his final collegiate season, or he could struggle to adjust to life in the Big Ten at a program in relative transition. Which version of Patterson will Minnesota see in the months ahead? Does this team have enough talent to compete in a Big Ten that is now 18 teams deep?