MINNEAPOLIS — For Lu’Cye Patterson and his dad Lucas, basketball is family.
Reggie Wilson: "Why was Minnesota the choice for you for your last season?"
Lu'Cye Patterson: "Just coming back, getting to see my little brothers, my little sisters, grandparents, people that haven't seen me play college basketball before in person, the whole coaching staff with the Gophers really welcomed me in with open arms. It was just like a no brainer for me."
"I told him to go ahead and investigate and see if it's for him," Lucas Patterson said. "I think he owed it to himself to see if it was something there."
It’s a full circle moment for the Pattersons.
"My father played with the Gophers, back in '75, football," Lucas Patterson said. "My grandfather played with the Lakers so it feels good to kind of be home representing again."
Lu’Cye Patterson is a former Brooklyn Center and Minnesota Prep Academy standout. He navigated his college playing career from Missouri State, to Charlotte and now back home for his fifth and final year.
"I was always a Gopher fan," Lu'Cye Patterson said. "I used to always watch Daniel Oturu, Amir Coffey, guys like that. So it's kind of a surreal moment for me to be a Gopher after watching them on TV so much playing at Williams (Arena)."
The homecoming grows familial ties. Gophers head coach Ben Johnson and Lucas Patterson grew up playing basketball together.
"When I was in fifth grade to about eighth, ninth grade, all the same traveling team," Lucas Patterson said. "My uncle was our coach."
Lu’Cye led Charlotte in scoring last season with 14.6 points a game. Now he's running the point for the Gophers this year, and has one goal.
"Win, get to the tournament and bring Minnesota back on top," Lu'Cye Patterson said. "I think the Timberwolves put a standard on where Minnesota basketball should be, and I feel like just to get the city that buzz again."
Back home with family, Lu’Cye is going to leave it all on the court.
"He's ready for this moment," Lucas Patterson said. "When you work like he's worked and he's put that time in, all the outcomes will show up for him."