‘Here To Win’ -- Bryson Tucker Aims for Instant Hoosier Impact

Wednesday, November 6

Bloomington, Ind.

8 p.m.

Indiana University

SIUE

‘Here To Win’ -- Bryson Tucker Aims for Instant Hoosier Impact

11/6/2024 3:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Bryson Tucker focuses on playing to his 5-star basketball potential, and perhaps beyond, without losing perspective on what really matters:

Team. Winning.

"I'm here to win," Indiana's 6-7 freshman says. "My role is to work hard every day and try to win each day."

It's working. Consider Tucker's Hoosier debut in last Friday's exhibition win over Marian University. His 19-point (on 9-for-12 shooting), three-assist, two-rebound effort in 23 minutes did not count in the record book, but suggested the possibilities as IU opens its season Wednesday night against SIU-Edwardsville at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

"Bryson has a nice skillset on both ends of the floor," coach Mike Woodson says. "He's long, athletic, and handles the ball. He can score. He can do a lot of things, but he's got to learn the college game. We've got to keep pushing him in the right direction."

That direction includes the mid-range shot, which has become a rarity in college basketball, and even the NBA, as players focus on 3-pointers, layups, and dunks. Tucker can do it all with help from his father, Byron, who scored 1,033 points in 66 games while playing for North Carolina State and George Mason in the early 1990s.

"When I was coming up," the younger Tucker says, "most high school guys were either a straight (3-point) shooter or a straight slasher. When you do a move in high school -- stop and pull up -- they weren't expecting it. If you watch a clip, I would do a move, and they would keep running. They didn't know it was coming. Me and my dad worked on it a lot."

The work has paid off, his teammates say.

"He's definitely advancing," guard Jakai Newton says. "He's super athletic and he can get to his mid-range and shoot the ball. He can be a key player for us."

Adds guard Gabe Cupps: "It's his ability to score. He's a scorer at heart. He's always trying to get a bucket and just his confidence. He plays with an ease and a flow that's rare for a freshman.

"The sky is the limit for Tuck. I think he can do whatever he sets his mind to do."

IU has had two straight Big Ten Freshman of the Year winners with guard Jalen Hood-Schifino in 2023 and swingman Mackenzie Mgbako last year. Tucker hopes to make it three in a row.

"That's the plan," he says. "I have to keep working."

So far, Tucker adds, the transition to college has been smooth.

"I've felt comfortable. There hasn't been anything that caught me off guard."

Woodson is not surprised. He was aware of Tucker's talent and potential from the first moment he started recruiting him. Tucker was a McDonald's All-American coming out of high school (he played for IMG Academy in Florida as well as Maryland's Mount Saint Joseph and Virginia's Bishop O'Connell). Woodson says he first saw Tucker three years ago at IMG.

"I watched him work and said, this kid is really skilled. He can do a lot of things, but they told me he might go to elsewhere, so I walked away."

Then last spring, Tucker's father called Woodson to see if he was still interested in his son.

"I said absolutely. I'll be on a plane tomorrow to talk to you about him. We were able to get him to Indiana."

As far as the Hoosiers, Woodson wants a fast-paced style to bring fatigue to the game and breakdowns to opponents. Rice, who thrives with fast pace, will lead the way.

"There is no such thing as mistake-free basketball," Rice says. "You're going to have turnovers, and mis-reads. It goes back to picking our spots. Coach wants me to see certain things, push the pace when we're supposed to push it and get the shots that he wants us to get at a certain time.

"It's having that healthy relationship with the players and the coaches to feed off of one another, know when and where we want to push and how we want to do it."

Woodson calls this the best and deepest team he's had in his four Indiana seasons. He brought in six key newcomers in Tucker and college transfers Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlisle, Luke Goode, Oumar Ballo and Langdon Hatton in a bid for a Big Ten championship, and more.

"Every year, every coach in the Big Ten wants to win a Big Ten title," Woodson says. "That hasn't changed since I walked through the door. Yes, we're trying to win a Big Ten and national title. That's all I think about. I'm hoping this team has a legitimate shot."

Marian University coach Pat Knight shares that hope, and not just because his Knights were roughed up by IU in last Friday night's exhibition. As an Indiana Pacers scout before taking the Marian job, Knight evaluated Ballo, Rice and Carlyle.

"I really like this Indiana team and their personality," he says. "The one thing you learn in scouting is it's not just the talent. These kids' intel is off the charts, not just basketball, but as human beings. It's very important to have talent, but also good people off the court with the work ethic.

"I told Woody when they signed these three kids that this team is going to be really good. Not just because of their talent, but because of they have the right mindset. Woody coaches them hard and these kids take hard coaching. They came from good programs. They have shooting. They have guys that can drive and shoot from the midrange. They have everything they need to have a good year."