The following story is from the October 2019 edition of the "Roar Report". It is authored by Gary D'Amato, the former longtime sportswriter and columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who joined the staff as the feature writer for the Roar Report in the Fall of 2018.

Te'Jon Lucas: Make Yourself at Home
 
He could see the whole court, could see plays before they developed, could organize the offense from his point guard position. He could help the Milwaukee men's basketball team win games ...
 
… if only he hadn't been in street clothes.
 
Te'Jon Lucas sat on the bench during home games last season, aching to play but forced to wait an entire year after transferring from the University of Illinois. Officially, he was a redshirt. Lucas had a different word for it: torture.
 
"Man, I wanted to be out there so bad," he says. "So bad. I was coming out of my seat. I was talking to guys on the court: 'Man, I wish I was out there.'"
 
Finally, that year is up. No more waiting for Lucas, a redshirt junior from Milwaukee Washington High School. He is UWM's starting point guard and his playmaking skill, toughness and experience as a Big Ten starter immediately make the Panthers a better team, at least on paper.
 
"Not to take anything away from anyone else in this conference – there's some really good players – but considering what I've seen in practice and in our workouts, I think Te'Jon has a definite shot to be one of the best players (in the Horizon League)," says Pat Baldwin, Milwaukee's third-year coach. "I believe in him and what he's capable of doing. I want him doing a lot. I want him to be one of the leaders in our program, helping us to get where we want to be."
 
To meet the 6-foot 2-inch Lucas is to like him. He's quick to smile, soft-spoken and polite. Earnest in conversation, he makes and holds eye contact, as sure of himself with an interviewer as he is with the ball in his hands. The tattoo on his sinewy right bicep reads, "Working hard beats talent when talent fails to work hard." On his left bicep: "God will give you wisdom for every decision and peace that surpasses understanding."
 
Baldwin and his staff were doing their due diligence in the spring of 2018 when they came across Lucas' name in the NCAA transfer portal. He'd played in 31 games and started 19 as a sophomore at Illinois, averaging 5.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
 
Baldwin, an assistant at Northwestern before taking the UWM job, had coached against Lucas during the player's freshman year. Furthermore, Panthers assistant Paris Parham was on Illinois coach John Groce's staff and helped recruit and coach Lucas.
They were still establishing their program in Milwaukee and knew Lucas would bring a high level of skill to a crucial position.
 
"When he became available, we jumped on it right away," Baldwin says. "It was a big opportunity for us to, in my opinion, get good right away once he became eligible to play."
 
Lucas enjoyed his time at Illinois and still keeps in contact with former teammates, but a coaching change between his freshman and sophomore years – Groce was out and Brad Underwood was in – meant a change in philosophy, particularly on offense. Lucas gave it a chance for one season but came to the conclusion that his game was better suited for a different system.
 
"It was more style of play," he says. "I loved the defense we played at Illinois. But offensively, it was a spread Princeton offense. I like to play off ball screens, have the ball in my hands, make decisions. I like to get up and down a little bit and try to put points on the board. I feel like my game caters to that and I wasn't able to do that so I had to find somewhere I could excel. I just felt like Coach Baldwin would do the best he can to set me up to be successful. That's why I decided to come back here."
 
Of course, that meant he'd have to sit out a year. Even though he practiced daily with the Panthers, he didn't travel with the team and was relegated to a spot at the end of the bench, sans uniform, at home games. Lucas channeled his energy into helping however he could, watching games with a keen eye and talking to players during timeouts.
 
"There's some guys that need reminders," he says. "Sometimes, I need reminders. I just tried to be the guy that can help others out, whether it's helping them get to their shot or just saying, 'Hey, you're alright. Next shot. Next shot.' Sometimes, people just need motivation."
 
He wasn't afraid to offer constructive criticism, which might have been taken the wrong way if his teammates hadn't seen how hard he worked in practice, how he led by example and always seemed to make the smart, efficient play. They knew his heart was in the right place.
 
"Te'Jon was very engaged in our games," Baldwin says. "To me, he was like another assistant coach. He understands the game, so I trust what he tells our guys. I think sometimes you can find guys that are kind of reticent about some guy telling them what to do. But I think our guys are really mature in accepting that, whether it was criticism or advice."
 
Sitting out was hard, but at least Lucas had some experience at it. As a senior at Washington, he suffered a broken ankle when another player undercut him as he was going in for a layup in a showcase game in Champaign, Ill. He landed awkwardly on his right foot and suffered a spiral fracture of the fibula.
 
Surgery and months of grueling rehab would follow.
 
"I remember the exact date: February 6, 2016," he says.  "I heard the bone break inside my head. It's crazy because the trainer was like, 'You can go back in. It's just a sprain.' I was like, 'Uh, I don't know if I can go back in. I think I'll just go sit on the bench.'
 
"To this day, I have 16 screws, two plates and a wire in my ankle."
 
At the time he got hurt, he was averaging 20.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.8 steals for the Purgolders, who were 14-4 and unbeaten in the City Conference. Despite the injury, Lucas was named the City Co-Player of the Year and runner-up for Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin. A four-star recruit, he chose Illinois over offers from USC, Purdue and Old Dominion.
 
And now he's come full circle, back to Milwaukee, where he'll try to help lead the Panthers back to prominence in the Horizon League. The ankle has healed, though he still gets taped for practices and games and receives treatments when his foot is especially sore.
 
"I wouldn't say it's a problem," he says. "It's definitely manageable. I get aches every once in a while, but if you saw me out there on the court you probably wouldn't even notice."
 
Lucas also used the time off during his redshirt year to reshape his body. He lifted weights five days a week and is up to 185 pounds, about 20 pounds heavier than when he started at Illinois. At 8 percent body fat, he's wiry and strong.
 
"He looks great," Baldwin says. "Not to put too much pressure on him, but you think about all the intangibles that he provides – the leadership and toughness and all those things – that's half the battle. Now it's getting out on the floor and forming that chemistry with our guys who are returning and new guys we have coming in. He definitely has an opportunity to make an impact."
 
All that's left now is to play. And win.
 
"Coach Baldwin has done a great job in bringing in guys, changing the culture around here, getting guys to buy in." Lucas says. "I feel like we're headed in the right direction. Our goal is to make it to the (NCAA) tournament. Whatever it takes. I don't care if we win a million games or lose a million games. Our goal is to win every game and make it to the tournament."