With the beginning of faculty basketball season approaching, we’ve moved from our take a look at different Large Ten applications to our player-by-player previews of the 2024-25 Indiana roster.
At this time, our participant profiles start with freshman Bryson Tucker.
Bryson Tucker, the No. 19 participant nationally within the remaining RSCI rankings for the category of 2024, had an unconventional journey to Indiana.
A 6-foot-7 wing from Bishop O’Connell Excessive Faculty in Maryland, Tucker appeared destined for the skilled route out of highschool. As late as January of this yr, Tucker listed the NBA G-League Ignite and Kansas and Michigan State as his potential choices past highschool. Most believed Tucker, educated by his father Byron from a younger age, was headed to G-League Ignite.
However when the NBA introduced it was disbanding G-League Ignite in March, it opened the door for school applications to make a transfer with Tucker.
Just some weeks after five-star Liam McNeeley parted methods with this system, the Hoosier workers moved rapidly to get Tucker on campus. IU secured his dedication in late March. It was a stunning growth as a result of Indiana hadn’t been publicly on the radar with the five-star wing for months earlier than he visited Bloomington. Indiana provided Tucker a scholarship within the spring of 2022, however he hasn’t visited till this spring.
The Bowie, Maryland native was the primary domino within the reshaping of Indiana’s roster this offseason. Inside weeks of Tucker’s dedication, the Hoosiers had additionally added Myles Rice, Oumar Ballo, Kanaan Carlyle, Luke Goode and Langdon Hatton.
“Proper once I dedicated, Liam (McNeeley) simply decommitted, so it was so much happening,” Tucker mentioned at Indiana’s media day. “After I noticed all of these names popping out, I did some analysis on them and it was like ‘man, they’re undoubtedly constructing a great workforce.’”
With IU’s robust switch portal class and the return of Mackenzie Mgbako, this system could have the posh of bringing a five-star McDonald’s All-American off the bench.
That’s to not say Tucker doesn’t have excessive expectations for himself. At media day, the 18-year-old mentioned he desires to be this system’s third straight Large Ten freshman of the yr.
That may very well be tough to realize given his doubtless function as a reserve, however Tucker has used the offseason weight room beneficial properties that ought to instantly put him within the rotation. He arrived on campus in June at 192 kilos and lately weighed in at 207, a 15-pound bounce.
Tucker’s offensive energy is his means to attain from the midrange. His dimension makes him sufficiently big to shoot over most wings and his environment friendly dribbling permits him to achieve his spots effortlessly.
He has good shot mechanics, which ought to enable him to shoot a stable proportion from the perimeter. At media day, Tucker dismissed the dialogue that his 3-point shot wants work.
“There’s nothing mistaken with it,” he mentioned. “Individuals love to speak about it, however there’s by no means been something mistaken with it. In highschool, I used to be referred to as a shooter.”
Tucker was also referred to as a powerful defender in highschool and that might want to proceed to earn him constant minutes for the Hoosiers.
At media day, he admitted that he’s nonetheless studying IU’s defensive rules.
“I simply suppose, in school phrases, I must be taught the protection that Indiana desires to place in,” Tucker mentioned. “I’m a great defensive participant, however they only need you in sure spots. So I simply suppose I must hold constructing on that.”
Backside line: Tucker, who can be one of many youngest gamers within the Large Ten, ought to be a member of IU’s rotation instantly. He has aspirations to play on the highest stage sooner moderately than later and selected the Hoosiers partially due to the chance to play for a coach who has labored within the NBA in Mike Woodson. It’s an encouraging signal that Tucker has placed on 15 kilos forward of the season. Adjusting the physicality of the Large Ten is at all times a problem for freshmen and the offseason work put in by Tucker ought to pay dividends when league play arrives.
Quotable: “Bryson has an opportunity to be impactful for our ballclub instantly. He has a sophisticated offensive recreation with the dimensions and energy to get to his spots on the ground. His midrange recreation may be very spectacular, and he has the athleticism to get to and rating effectively on the rim.” – Woodson final spring after IU introduced the signing of Tucker to a letter of intent.
Media day interviews with Tucker:
Filed to: 2024-25 season preview, Bryson Tucker
