Lu'Cye Patterson commits to Gophers as roster gets deeper

The topsy turvy nature of college sports is hitting every program, and it's been a wild roller coaster ride for head coach Ben Johnson and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. 

The latest turn came Friday as Minneapolis native Lu'Cye Patterson, who starred at Charlotte the past two seasons, committed to the Gophers. He appears to be a frontrunner to replace Elijah Hawkins, who transferred to Texas A&M, as the starting point guard in 2024-25. 

Patterson, a 6-foot-2 combo guard, played his first two years of college at Missouri State. He went to Brooklyn Center High School and as a sophomore he averaged 24.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists while leading the Centaurs to the state tournament for the first time in 33 years. 

He played his last two years of high school hoops at Minnesota Prep Academy. 

At Charlotte this past season, Patterson averaged 14.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 35% from 3-point range and 43.6% overall.

Minnesota's depth in 2024-25 is now quite impressive, so long as Johnson and the coaching staff can make all of the new pieces fit together. 

• PG: Lu'Cye Patterson, Isaac Asuma
• SG: Mike Mitchell Jr., Brennan Rigsby, Caleb Williams
• SF: Femi Odukale, Kaydn Betts
• PF: Dawson Garcia, Parker Fox
• C: Frank Mitchell, Trey Edmonds

Patterson, Rigsby, Williams, Odukale, Mitchell and Edmonds are all transfers who committed in the past six weeks.