John Lovelace Jr. made a statement when he returned to his hometown of Milwaukee as a member of the Youngstown State basketball team to take on the Milwaukee Panthers last season. As a sophomore guard, Lovelace was pivotal late in the game, scoring seven points in overtime and nearly singlehandedly carrying the Penguins to a hard-fought, four-point victory. In just 18 minutes off the bench, he tallied an impressive 15 points to secure the win.
Nearly a year later, Lovelace is set to suit up for a highly anticipated clash between Youngstown State and Milwaukee on Friday night at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. This time, however, he’ll be donning the black and gold of the Panthers. After transferring in the offseason, Lovelace has become a key contributor in Milwaukee’s rotation, impacting his new team in his hometown.
Now, on the other side of the matchup, Lovelace is fired up to play his former team.
“It’s something special,” Lovelace said. “I still have friends on that team. We still talk about it. We’ve been talking about it ever since I transferred here, so it’s going to be something special.
“I just want to keep continuing to carry that edge and aggression to help my team win this game. Unfortunately, there are no friends on the court. There are no hard feelings, but I’m going to do what we can to help our team win.”
This season, Lovelace has played a key role for the Panthers off the bench, providing an edge and stingy defense. He is averaging 4.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per game, appearing in 18 games, all but one as a key contributor off the bench for coach Bart Lundy.
Lovelace is a 2021 Brown Deer High School graduate and spent one season at We Are United Prep before playing his first two collegiate seasons with the Penguins. As a sophomore last season, he averaged 6.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while playing just over 18 minutes per contest.
Lovelace takes immense pride in representing his hometown university, a sentiment that resonates in his performance on the court. Lundy has prioritized recruiting local talent, including Lovelace, and that investment has paid off. The Panthers (12-6, 5-2 Horizon League) remain a perfect 8-0 at home this season, a testament to their strength and unity.
Lovelace also reflected on the evolution of basketball culture in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin, noting the significant strides it has made in recent years.
“I feel like aggression and playing with a chip on our shoulder wherever we go best suits us,” he said. “Milwaukee wasn’t always a great place to be, but I feel like everybody in the city knows each other. They know that they are pretty good basketball players, and everyone wants to be the best.”
The Panthers will take on the Penguins (11-7, 6-2 Horizon League) at 7 p.m. Friday at Panther Arena.
