Jordan Tucker discusses Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Oregon
Jordan Tucker is one of the last remaining four-star prospects available in the 2017 class. At one point, Indiana nearly earned his commitment, but the coaching change in Bloomington shook up his recruitment and left the door open for other schools to have a shot.
Syracuse was considered one of the early leaders, but the Orange fell off. A recent visit to Georgia to visit Tucker by Jim Boeheim has Syracuse right back in the mix, however, along with Georgia Tech, Oregon and Villanova.
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IN HIS OWN WORDS
Syracuse: “When Tom Crean got fired and when Tyler Lydon left for the NBA Draft, that’s when they came back into the mix. They weren’t really sure how much playing time I’d get there, but now they are saying I’ll get to play a lot if I go there. I always liked them. Their offense is made for somebody like me. The fact they play zone, I kinda wanted to go to a school where man-to-man was taught every day because that’s what they play at the next level. We’re still thinking about it. If it comes down to that being the best fit for me, I don’t have a problem going there. They run everything through their 2’s and their 3’s, so I could come in and it would be perfect.”
Oregon: “It gave me more confidence that they let their guards go. The stuff they ran for him in the tournament, I watched them all year long and they didn’t run all that for him, and they went away from it in the Final Four and I was wondering about it. I don’t know if it is was the matchup or that UNC scouted them really well. I’m going to ask them about that on my visit.”
Georgia Tech: “I wanted them to win the whole thing (NIT), but TCU just came in and played really well and didn’t take them lightly. They don’t have somebody I can really compare myself to. When Quinton Stephens was knocking down shots, it made it a little easier to see what they could for me. I like how they run their offense though and I think they can help me get easy buckets and I know I’ll always have to work for everything.”
On his decision timeline: “I’m definitely going to wait until after all the visits because I’ve already had that feeling. I had that feeling when I went on my Indiana visit and it went perfect and I wanted to commit right after that. When we started hearing all the rumors, it changed everything. I’m definitely going to hear everybody out. At this point, I’m one of the last ones and nobody is really considering the schools I’m looking at besides MJ Walker and Georgia Tech. I’m not in a rush.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Tucker heads to Syracuse for an official visit this weekend. The following weekend he’ll be at the Jordan Brand Classic, but he’ll go forward with visits to Oregon on April 21 and Georgia Tech on April 28 with a decision coming after he completes all three visits.
RIVALS’ REACTION
After talking to Tucker, he legitimately seems like he’s open to all three schools. He’s done his homework on each school and will have questions for each coaching staff during the visits that he wants answered. Georgia Tech getting the last visit the way it wanted is worth noting, but Syracuse has a long-standing relationship with Tucker and his family from early on in the process. This could end up coming down to an ACC battle.
