Jerome Allen may have finally found the heir to Zack Rosen.
In a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Flint Powers point guard Patrick Lucas-Perry announced he will attend Penn in the fall.
The 5-foot-11, 165-pound point guard from Flint, Mich., chose the Quakers over Oakland University and will be the seventh member of Allen’s first recruiting class — joining Henry Brooks, Keelan Cairns, Camryn Crocker, Simeon Esprit, Xavier Harris and Greg Louis.
Although Lucas-Perry tore his ACL at the end of his junior year, he recovered to lead Powers to an 18-2 regular season record while averaging 17.3 points, 6.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 4.1 steals per game.
Lucas-Perry also played a major role in helping Powers capture the Michigan Class B state title in 2009 when he scored 25 points in the finale. He was named to the all-State team twice during his time in high school.
His high-school success is not surprising given his strong basketball pedigree. Lucas-Perry’s brother, Laval, played at the University of Michigan before transferring to Oakland this past summer. He is also coached by former Michigan and NBA forward Tim McCormick in Amateur Athletic Union play.
According to McCormick, the Penn-bound player has regained his pre-injury quickness and has what it takes to be a successful floor general.
“He’s so fast that he gets open, but he needs to be able to consistently hit his perimeter jump shot,” McCormick said late last year. “He also goes to his right hand about 75 to 80 percent of the time, and I would like to see him use his left [more].”
With a scout’s grade of 88, Lucas-Perry is also rated No. 47 in his point guard class by ESPN.com and is the only true point in this year’s class. His arrival may help current Penn guard Miles Cartwright focus on his development as a combo guard.
Rosen, meanwhile, who has just one more season for the Red and Blue, may find that his newest backup shares many of the former’s same qualities.
According to McCormick, Lucas-Perry has a high basketball IQ that separates him from many other prospects.
“Patrick has an insatiable desire to win,” McCormick said. “He reads the game better than any other high school athlete I have seen.”
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