Former Michigan basketball guard Laval Lucas-Perry transfers to Oakland

I chose Oakland, first of all, because of Coach (Greg) Kampe,” Lucas-Perry said by phone Sunday night. “He’s a great coach, a great teacher and the program is on the rise.

“They just made the NCAA tournament, and I know a lot of guys on the team and they talk about (how) they have the utmost respect for coach Kampe and how he’s such a great teacher and gets the best out of his players.”

Lucas-Perry chose Oakland over other schools he declined to name. The guard averaged 5.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in his two years in Ann Arbor.

Had he been able to stay in Ann Arbor, he would have had two years of eligibility remaining but will likely have to sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules. At that point, he would have one year remaining.

“It was a decision coach Beilein made,” Lucas-Perry said. “It was up to him, and I'll move on. It was a little unfair but I just took it and I just did the best thing for me.”

Lucas-Perry declined to say what he felt was unfair about Beilein’s decision.

“I think you should probably ask Coach Beilein. He would probably give you the best answer,” Lucas-Perry said. “He’s the one who made the decision, and I think he’d have the answer to that.”

In his statement released when Lucas-Perry was kicked off the team, Beilein said the standards he had for his program were laid out to Lucas-Perry “on numerous occasions” and that he violated team standards.

When asked about Lucas-Perry earlier this month, Beilein declined to comment.

“I’m just being given an opportunity to play,” Lucas-Perry said. “Michigan took basketball away from me, and I took it and I’m at Oakland, proud to be at Oakland, and it is just another opportunity I have to just to better myself and keep me moving forward and just to help myself be the best player academically and athletically that I can be.”