Jamil Tucker: Breaking Out
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By Mary Wyker, Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant
Reaching the towering height of six feet and six inches by the seventh grade, Jamil Tucker became a formidable physical presence on a basketball court at an early age. Upon entering West Side High School in his hometown of Gary, Indiana, Tucker’s ability to shoot the ball well enabled him to develop into a forward who posed a threat to his opponents in the paint and on the wing.
Throughout his high school career, Tucker continued to improve as a player. By his senior year he averaged 18.5 points, 11 rebounds and 4.2 assists a game. The Indiana Basketball Coaches Association selected him to its all-state squad and he was named an Indiana All-Star in recognition of his being one of the top 12 players in the state.
While playing in high school, Tucker said he looked forward to the possibility of playing collegiate ball. Watching the competitive nature of the teams in the ACC, he thought, “I can’t wait to get there.” Last year, his dream of playing college basketball came true when he became a Cavalier.
For Tucker, the transition from high school to the Cavaliers was a challenging but wonderful experience.
“It was great because I had people around me to help me and guide me,” he said.
“It was definitely a transition from high school to college,” Tucker said. “It was difficult adjusting to the intensity level because it is two totally different levels as far as how people approach the game. Everyone playing college, especially in the ACC, was the best player on their high school team. Coming to college and not being the best any more, not being at the top of the list, you had to work that much harder and play that much harder just to keep up. My biggest adjustment coming in was trying to find out how hard you have to play every second.”
Tucker improved throughout his first year and contributed to last year’s success. During the 2006-2007 season, he averaged 3.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 10.0 minutes of playing time. He proved himself a threat on the perimeter, shooting 48.8 percent from three-point range for the season. Moreover, he continually improved throughout the year. In the last twenty games of the season he shot 48.1 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from behind the arc. In that stretch was a season-high twelve points in a victory over Gonzaga and a team-high nine rebounds in the game against Boston College.
After his successful first season, Tcuker continued to push himself towards bigger goals. “I’m happy with the progression that I have made but I’m never satisfied because I know there is a lot more that I can do,” he said.
This past summer Tucker worked on honing his skills to improve his effectiveness as an all-around player. His main objective was to diversify his game. Having the summer to work with the UVa staff enabled him to learn more and not have to rely on his jump shot. In an attempt to improve his movement on the court, Tucker spent much of his time focusing on dribbling, speed and agility drills.
“Last year I was known as a shooter,” he said. “With my size and the position I play, I need to be able to move and cover more than just one position. Throughout the summer I worked on a lot of position and agility drills because I need to be able to move and get in and out of lanes.”
The summer’s hard training has produced positive results in the early part of this season. Tucker recognizes some of the benefits of practice and experience in the greater confidence he now possesses as a player.
“It is in games that you get to see all the hard work you did over the summer and how it helped you,” he said. “It has definitely been a big benefit.”
The summer gave him the confidence to create more plays under the basket. He is now able to do things he says he would never have done before. In the game at Arizona, he credits the added confidence for allowing him to move in and out of the lane and pull up on a fast break much more successfully than in the past.
The effectiveness of the summer training is also evident in the more substantial role Tucker has taken on the team this season. His points, rebounds and assists have increased from last year and he has become a more consistent offensive contributor.
His success has not gone without notice. Tucker is seeing more playing time and SI.com selected him as a sophomore to watch this season. Tucker does not dwell on that type of notice.
“Once you pay attention to all the hype, that’s when you lose focus on what you’ve got to do,” he said.
His goal for the rest of the season is to be a well-rounded player so that if the opponent focuses on stopping one part of his game, he still has something to rely on. Tucker is determined to continue improving and reach new levels in his game.
“There are still a lot of things that I can work on to get better,” he said. “It makes me feel good that I am going forwards, but I’m not at all satisfied.”