Indiana basketball lands McDonald's All-American

28/03/2024 21:48

Exhale, Indiana basketball fans, you finally have a commit for the 2024 class. It took awhile, but Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson landed his first commit of the 2024 class on Thursday as five-star small forward Bryson Tucker is coming to Indiana. The Hoosiers did previously have one commitment for the class, but it led to a de-commitment. Indiana needed this one badly.

“Tucker is a big wing who has a pretty polished game on the offensive end of the floor,” National Basketball Director Eric Bossi said in his scouting report of Bryson Tucker. “He is able to use his size to finish in the lane where he is also a very functional athlete who can get off the floor quickly in small spaces, changes direction well in traffic and has a great frame to build on in a college weight room. Where he really stands out, though, is with his ability to score from the mid range. Tucker gets to his spots without wasting dribbles, elevates and is problematic for defenses trying to stop him from scoring from between 12 and 17 feet. As Tucker gets away from the rim and shoots deeper jumpers, his shot does tend to flatten out a bit so while he’s not a poor shooter from beyond the three-point line, there’s still plenty of room for him to improve out there. While he’s able to quickly get to his spots for one and two dribble pull-ups, Tucker could also benefit from developing his handle a bit more. Because of his size and ability to carry more muscle on his lean frame, he should be able to make the adjustment to the college game relatively quickly.”

Tucker is ranked as the #20 prospect in the 2024 class by 247 Sports. He is the #7 SF in the class and the top player in the state of Virginia. He currently attends Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia. Tucker chose Indiana basketball over Michigan State and Kansas.

Mike Woodson and Indiana needed this one

After another rocky season, Mike Woodson needed something like this to get the Hoosiers fan base back on his side. Indiana failed to make the NCAA Tournament again this season, and there were a lot of fans that wanted Woodson gone after the season. The fact that they had zero commitments in the 2024 class played a big role in that. Now, they have Tucker, who is a five-star and a McDonald’s All-American. Woodson still has a lot of work to do, but this is a good start.

This is a crucial offseason for Woodson as he knows that another disappointing year next season will likely lead to him losing his job. Landing Tucker was huge, but there is still work to be done if Indiana is going to get back to the NCAA Tournament next year. The pressure is on for Woodson and his Hoosiers.

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