Illinois Lands Lucas
November 11, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Milwaukee point guard joins Fighting Illini
Champaign, Ill.–Illinois basketball head coach John Groce announced Wednesday the addition of Te'Jon Lucas (TEE-zhahn) to the Fighting Illini.
Lucas is a 6-0, 160-pound point guard from Milwaukee. He saw his recruiting stock soar during the summer following stellar performances at the NBPA Top 100 Camp and on the AAU circuit with the Milwaukee Spartans, coached by his mentor Anthony McHenry. Lucas is rated a four-star prospect by Scout, and three stars by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN.
Lucas averaged 14.3 points and 5.2 assists as a junior at Washington High School, under the direction of coach Freddie Riley. He earned second-team all-conference honors while leading Washington to a runner-up finish in the City Conference.
"Te'Jon is first and foremost a pure point guard," Groce said. "He can really pass the ball. We watched him a lot over the spring, summer and fall, and that is what stands out the most. He just has that knack – which all the great point guards do – of delivering the ball to the right player at the right time to create scoring opportunities. He is very young for his class, so it's not surprising to see him really take off as a player over the course of this last year. He is well coached and works very hard, so we know that development will continue at a rapid rate.
"I mentioned his passing first, but he really has all the skills you look for in a point guard," Groce continued. "He has outstanding leadership qualities, he defends, can drive the ball, and shoot it. Te'Jon has great character and an outstanding family supporting him, so we're extremely excited to officially welcome him to the Fighting Illini program."
With the addition of Lucas, Groce and his staff continue their trend of adding talented players from not just the state of Illinois, but throughout the Midwest. Last year's signing of Jalen Coleman-Lands marked the first Indiana product to select the Fighting Illini in 30 years. The Illini haven't had a varsity letterwinner from the state of Wisconsin, meanwhile, since 1928.
Happy to welcome Te'Jon Lucas to the #Illini Fam » https://t.co/mBk1z0abZB Welcome to the ??&??, @too_smoove23! pic.twitter.com/DeeRrhU7j3
— Illini Basketball (@IlliniMBB) November 11, 2015
