Tucker Makes It Official

Tallahassee Community College men's basketball coach Eddie Barnes today announced that Rodney Tucker will continue his education and basketball career with Auburn University in Auburn, Ala.

Tucker, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward from Stone Mountain, Ga., was named first-team all-Panhandle Conference last season. He helped lead the Eagles to a berth in the state championship tournament and a 20-10 overall record.

"I had some great options to choose from," said Tucker, who transferred to TCC from Florida State University. "Coach Ellis' program really impressed me and made the decision an easy one."

Tucker averaged 14.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks for TCC. Tucker had a career game against Wallace Community College-Dothan (12/6/01) scoring 27 points and snagging 15 rebounds.

At FSU, he averaged 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game for the Seminoles during his 1999-2000 freshman campaign. He had highs of nine points against Duke University in Cameron Indoor Stadium and five rebounds against Maryland in Tallahassee as a Seminole.

Out of high school, he was regarded as one of the top 100 prep players in the nation from Stone Mountain High School by most recruiting services and one of the top prospects in Georgia as a senior in 1999. Tucker was an honorable mention All-USA selection by USA Today newspaper, and all-state first-team selection as a junior and senior. He was also an all-county selection during his final season at Stone Mountain.

Tucker averaged a double-double of 20.7 points and 10.7 rebounds during his senior season. He also averaged four blocks, four assists, and connected on 58-percent of his field goals. As a junior, he also averaged over 20 points and 10 boards. He was the team MVP during both his junior and senior seasons.