Two years ago, he made an early jump to senior boys basketball to help a talented group earn the Delta Pacers just their second provincial tournament berth since 1979. Now Lucas Goosen is hoping some similar assistance will allow him to end his outstanding high school career in the very same fashion.
The Grade 12 point guard, who logged significant minutes during the 2010 post-season run, has blossomed into one of the top players in B.C.
His excellent court vision, smooth outside stroke and the ability to play much bigger than his 6-foot-1 frame - he dunks on a regular basis - makes him one of the most sought after players in the province.
The University of Western Ontario, along with B.C. schools - UBC, Trinity Western and Thompson Rivers - have all expressed interest. Goosen also hasn't ruled out heading south which would mean at least one season at a junior college to attract interest.
That decision will come sometime in the next few months. His focus right now is playing a leading role in helping a very young team get to the provincial "AAA" tournament in March. Goosen is one of just three seniors on the Pacers roster and the majority of his supporting cast is in Grade 10 or Grade 11 - including Gursham Bajwa, Ryan Cowley and Andrew Jones who were all aged up just like himself.
"It's funny because it's kind of opposite of my situation," smiled Goosen prior to practice on Monday. "I was trying to help this group of Grade 12 players and now we have this Group of Grade 10 and 11s trying to help me. It's kind of different in that they are maturing as the season goes along.
"I have to be like a leader or a coach on the floor to them. I'm talking to them a lot so they know what's going on and stuff."
The Pacers have made steady progress since a turbulant start to the season that included a loss to cross-town rivals South Delta in exhibition play. They finished third at the Claremont Tournament in Victoria two weeks ago and advanced to the second round of last week's Pitt Meadows Air Show Tournament before being overwhelmed by the second ranked host Marauders (84-44). Delta went on to defeat South Kamloops 66-48 in consolation play with Goosen earning yet another all-star award.
With seven provincial berths up for grabs in the Fraser Valley playoffs, the Pacers won't need to knock off a top 10 ranked school to get to the Langley Events Centre.
This week they will look to take another step forward at their own Pacer Classic which tips off Thursday afternoon. The eightteam event is headed by seventh ranked Kitsilano, along with three other solid Fraser Valley schools - Yale, Centennial and Tweedsmuir. Delta opens against Earl Marriott at 2 p.m. and would likely face Tweedsmuir in the semi-finals on Friday (also 2 p.m.). The championship game goes at 4: 15 p.m. on Saturday.
"Things have been picking up lately for us and the Pitt Meadows tournament helped a lot," added Goosen who scored a season-high 42 points in an exhibition win over Richmond High last week. "We got killed against Pitt but the experience and feeling of playing that type of game in packed gym was really good for our young guys."
Goosen's road to hoop dominance began when he lived in Tsawwassen and signed up for the South Delta Steve Nash program when he was 10. When his family moved to Ladner in Grade 8, he arrived at DSS with some excellent role models that pushed him towards taking basketball more seriously. Among them was Kenny Ryan who was in his Grade 12 year and ended up coaching him last season.
Goosen also signed up for DRIVE in Grade 8 - a leading basketball academy in Richmond that is run by one of B.C.'s all-time great players Pasha Bains. By Grade 10 he had earned his way onto DRIVE's top traveling squad that plays at a high-profile tournament in Las Vegas each summer.
He also had made the DSS east gym his second home.
"Back in Grade 10 I would be in here at seven in the morning with (former standout) Anthony (Sohal) shooting, then last year it would be in the morning and staying after practice as well. I basically would find all open gym times to be there.
"DRIVE and working with Pasha has helped me a lot. I will probably play for him again this summer and go to Vegas and see what it happens (with potential college opportunities)."
