MILWAUKEE - Men's basketball head coach
Pat Baldwin announced today that Te'Jon Lucas will transfer into the program and play his final two seasons for the Milwaukee Panthers.
"We are very excited to add Te'Jon to our Panther family and to welcome him back home," Baldwin said. "He is extremely competitive and adds a tremendous amount of toughness that impacts winning for our program."
Lucas comes to Milwaukee following two years at Illinois. The 6-foot-1 guard will sit out next season due to NCAA transfer regulations.
"Te'Jon is extremely important and popular within the Milwaukee community," Baldwin said. "He will be a great ambassador for our basketball program and to the city of Milwaukee. I admire his work ethic and his determination to be great in all facets of his game. He will fit in very well with our culture of young men who have a great work ethic, who are coachable, who are great teammates and who are immensely consumed with winning."
Lucas averaged 5.7, 2.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 29 games this past winter, making 19 starts over the course of his sophomore campaign. He shot 47.8 percent (64-of-134) from the field, leading the Illini in assists-per-game.
That followed a freshman season in which he appeared in 31 games, making 15 starts while averaging 4.8 points and a team-best 3.1 assists per contest. He finished fourth in the Big Ten in steals in league play (1.5 spg) and fifth with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The No. 138 prospect in the Class of 2016 according to the Composite Ranking, the former Milwaukee Washington High School standout put up impressive numbers in high school, earning unanimous Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association First-Team D2 All-State honors despite having his final season cut short with a leg injury.
Lucas averaged 20.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game his last prep season, choosing Illinois over offers from USC, Purdue and Old Dominion while also being recruited by Michigan.
He led his high school team to a 14-4 mark before the injury and was still named the state's top senior point guard by the Wisconsin Sports Network and the City Co-Player of the Year. A four-star recruit by Scout and three-stars by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN, Lucas also averaged 14.3 points and 5.2 assists as a junior, earning second-team all-league honors.
