Top three for Tucker
6-foot-4, 180-pound wing player Darquavis Tucker surfaced on the national scene last season and is presently ranked the No. 49 prospect in the class of 2007. Tucker, from Arthur Hill High School in Saginaw, Mich., presently has three schools at the top of his list.
Tucker named Michigan State, Illinois, Connecticut, Missouri and Miami as schools of interest and noted that all five had both offered and been at a game this season. Out of these five, Michigan State, Illinois and Connecticut are his three favorites.
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"I like the fact that Michigan State is close to home," said Tucker. "I also like how Coach Izzo lets his team get out and run.
"I like how Coach Weber uses his guards at Illinois. I had a chance to speak with him recently, and he seems like a really nice guy.
"Connecticut gets up and down the floor, and that's my style of play. I feel like I could do well there."
Tucker is not fazed by recent commitments from wing players Chris Allen and Durrell Summers to Michigan State. He noted that he has not spoken with the Michigan State staff since the commitments, but he is expecting the coaching staff to watch him play in the near future.
Tucker, who is averaging 24 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists per game, carries a 3.2 GPA and has academics as the top criteria for his choice of a school.
"Education is the first thing I'll look at," he said. "After that I will see if I will be able to play early and if I fit in well with the team and the coaches."
Planning to make a decision after the summer, Tucker is working hard to become a more polished perimeter player.
"I need to keep working hard on my ball handling and quickness," he said. "I'm putting in a lot of extra work to get ready for the next level."
Darquavis Tucker scouting report:
A very athletic wing player, Tucker excels at using either hand to finish in the lane. Runs the floor and rebounds extremely well. As he is making the transition from an interior player to a perimeter player, his ball handling, passing and outside shooting need improving.