Class of 2017 SG/SF Jordan Tucker (NY / GA) Leaving Duke to Butler

[jordoo]

Agree totally on filling a need - I'll wait to see if he is a scoring threat or not. Like all of us I certainly hope he fills that need, but for every Battle & Malachi there is a Paul Harris.

Paul Harris was a pretty good player all told he was just a bad fit for our system and undersized for his actual skill set.

 

[orangefog]

Agree totally on filling a need - I'll wait to see if he is a scoring threat or not. Like all of us I certainly hope he fills that need, but for every Battle & Malachi there is a Paul Harris.

His outside shot will translate, and he has developed the rest of his offensive game to the point, I think he will be an effective scorer, but it is certainly understandable to be skeptical until it is proven at the college level. But, I think we can have reasonable optimism. And please post one more time quickly, you are sitting on a scary number.

 

[Newhouser]

His outside shot will translate, and he has developed the rest of his offensive game to the point, I think he will be an effective scorer, but it is certainly understandable to be skeptical until it is proven at the college level. But, I think we can have reasonable optimism. And please post one more time quickly, you are sitting on a scary number.

Ha thanks - hadn't noticed I was on the Number of the Beast.

 

[jordoo]

His outside shot will translate, and he has developed the rest of his offensive game to the point, I think he will be an effective scorer, but it is certainly understandable to be skeptical until it is proven at the college level. But, I think we can have reasonable optimism. And please post one more time quickly, you are sitting on a scary number.

And its not just his offense but its being able to put a frontcourt player out there who is a consistent threat to hit 3's and as you mention that's the one part of his game that is for sure going to translate to the next level. Battle is our best returning shooter and he is going to have the ball in his hands a lot more so we really need another shooting threat out there to balance the floor and make things easier for everyone else.

 

[Ward]

I don't disagree. The rest of the ACC is taking us to the woodshed when it comes to recruiting. The FSU/Miami's/Wake Forest's/Georgia Techs are all going after 5* talent now and we are here trying to get whoever is left over.

Yea that's the one thing I didn't see coming. I figured in the ACC we'd be in an uphill battle to keep stocking talent at the same levels of Duke and UNC and probably have good and bad years with Louisville/UVA but I never thought we'd be getting beat on the recruiting trail by Miami and Florida State with Wake Forest and GT gaining ground.

 

[cuseinseattle]

Let me ask you a question: how will next season unfold if we DON'T land Tucker? Where is the offense going to come from? Outside shooting?

I honestly think that some posters aren't seeing the forest through the trees here.

We will start Brissett at the 3 and Moyer at the 4 and not be able to shoot the ball to save our lives. We would have to hold teams to like 50 points to win.

 

[CusefanATL]

2017 Basketball Recruiting Prospects

Tucker took a tumble in the updated top 100. Fell all the way to 107.

 

[JDubbin]

We will start Brissett at the 3 and Moyer at the 4 and not be able to shoot the ball to save our lives. We would have to hold teams to like 50 points to win.

Did you think Battle could shoot the 3 before this season or nah?

 

[Cusefan0307]

2017 Basketball Recruiting Prospects

Tucker took a tumble in the updated top 100. Fell all the way to 107.

Weird. ESPN did theirs yesterday and he was 40. Jerry has him at 51 and Rivals 68.

Something doesn't smell right about Skowts rankings. They have Brissett as a 3*. That is crazy.

 

[RF2044]

RF there is an element here too though, where posters may have a limited view on player's abilities and have unnecessarily pigeon holed them on that. There was a ton of speculation last season that Battle would struggle from the outside and he shot the ball fine from the perimeter. How much has Moyer's shooting improved during his redshirt year? Brissett has a nice shot and has shown he can at least hit open 3's. It's speculation both ways (positive or negative) until we see it in front of us. If we don't land Tucker we all agree that it sucks. However, your stance is to believe that nobody else will hit perimeter shots. My stance is to wait and see some results from players before I assume they can't hit outside shots.

Let me clarify: I am VERY excited about all of our incoming recruits, and believe that players like Brissett and Sidibe are going to prove to be much better than the rankings might suggest. I'm also very excited to see how much Moyer has improved now that he's got a year in the system under his belt as a redshirt.

Players like Moyer and Brissett are going to be in the rotation this year, and might even start. I fully acknowledge that possibility. However, neither of those players has the skill set that Tucker does, who is a natural small forward on offense who would immediately bring a much needed element of consistent outside shooting to the table. That's his calling card, and his top offensive skill. No matter what Moyer / Brissett do, the overwhelming likelihood is that neither player will bring that same dimension of shooting, offensive spacing, and balance to our half court offense that Tucker will / would -- at least not consistently.

I've seen both Moyer and Brissett play, and also trust the first hand reports from knowledgeable posters like Iommi who have seen them line, and been very pragmatic when reporting on the strengths and current limitations of these players.

I also agree with what Jordoo says above, about Tucker being the only player in that trio who is a natural small forward RIGHT NOW. Players like Moyer / Brissett MIGHT develop into 3's down the road, just like Kris Jo came in not shooting well, and then transformed into a consistent shooter by junior year. But if we have to rely on either of those players to start at 3 next year [which might happen if we can't land Tucker], we're probably in trouble, and the half court offense would probably suffer by enabling teams to clog the lane on TT and crowd Battle not fearing that other guys can hit open shots.

 

[RF2044]

Did you think Battle could shoot the 3 before this season or nah?

Again, I based my opinion before the season on what Iommi said [having seen him play live and interviewed him], that Battle was a better outside shooter than people thought, and one who was bothered by people saying that he couldn't hit shots. When I was able to observe practice during the preseason, I came away impressed with his shooting--and you may recall that I strongly suggested that he would start and be a major offensive cog.

But it is important to keep in mind that he began the season scorching the nets from outside, but tailed off late from 3.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Again, I based my opinion before the season on what Iommi said [having seen him play live and interviewed him], that Battle was a better outside shooter than people thought, and one who was bothered by people saying that he couldn't hit shots. When I was able to observe practice during the preseason, I came away impressed with his shooting--and you may recall that I strongly suggested that he would start and be a major offensive cog.

But it is important to keep in mind that he began the season scorching the nets from outside, but tailed off late from 3.

Now he is the number 1 option so I wouldn't be surprised if his efficiency numbers dropped some more specifically from 3. He had a lot of wide open jump shots for a good portion of the seasons this year until he proved he was a good shooter(See game winner vs Clemson).

 

[orangefog]

Now he is the number 1 option so I wouldn't be surprised if his efficiency numbers dropped some more specifically from 3. He had a lot of wide open jump shots for a good portion of the seasons this year until he proved he was a good shooter(See game winner vs Clemson).

Yep, and those open shots will likely fall to the 3. That's why we need Tucker so badly.

 

[RF2044]

Yep, and those open shots will likely fall to the 3. That's why we need Tucker so badly.

Ding, ding, ding. We need Tucker because [1] he is a good fit for a gaping roster hole we have at small forward, [2] because he is a good outside shooter, and [3] because adding a player like him would do wonders for our offensive spacing / half court offense being functional.

OF COURSE the program will survive if we don't land Tucker. I think that's where some posters are getting hung up -- that no recruit will make or break us. While that might be true in the big picture, not landing Tucker / a player with Tucker's offensive capabilities would have a huge detrimental impact on next year's season outlook, for a variety of reasons. THAT'S why he's close to a must-get.

I wish that weren't the case. I wish we had a guy on the roster like a KrisJo, who could be counted upon to step into a bigger role if the recruit opts to go elsewhere. But I don't believe that either Brissett or Moyer fits that bill, in terms of team need.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

Yeah, just like '06-'07 & 07-'08 were - we were horrible after that.

Today is not the same as yesterday. We used to be in a conference we built and owned. Easier to recover under those conditions. Not so much in the ACC. How many more years can we afford to finish in the middle of the conference before that becomes our identity?

 

[50YRsofCuse]

Ding, ding, ding. We need Tucker because [1] he is a good fit for a gaping roster hole we have at small forward, [2] because he is a good outside shooter, and [3] because adding a player like him would do wonders for our offensive spacing / half court offense being functional.

OF COURSE the program will survive if we don't land Tucker. I think that's where some posters are getting hung up -- that no recruit will make or break us. While that might be true in the big picture, not landing Tucker / a player with Tucker's offensive capabilities would have a huge detrimental impact on next year's season outlook, for a variety of reasons. THAT'S why he's close to a must-get.

I wish that weren't the case. I wish we had a guy on the roster like a KrisJo, who could be counted upon to step into a bigger role if the recruit opts to go elsewhere. But I don't believe that either Brissett or Moyer fits that bill, in terms of team need.

I believe that we need a SF that is a consistent shooter like Tucker but one that is more of a complete player. Tucker comes off to me as a shooter like James Southerland was. We actually need a SF to be like the caliber of Tyrus Battle *shooter, defender and rebounder". While Tucker would be a good addition, if we didn't get him (as said earlier), the SU team would survive. Without Tucker, I am hoping that the coaching staff splits the time between Moyer and Brissett.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I believe that we need a SF that is a consistent shooter like Tucker but one that is more of a complete player. Tucker comes off to me as a shooter like James Southerland was. We actually need a SF to be like the caliber of Tyrus Battle *shooter, defender and rebounder". While Tucker would be a good addition, if we didn't get him (as said earlier), the SU team would survive. Without Tucker, I am hoping that the coaching staff splits the time between Moyer and Brissett.

Tucker is closer to Malachi than Southerland IMO. I would take a Southerland type though. He was long on defense and shot 40% from 3. If this team had a Southerland to complement TT/Battle I would feel a lot better about next year.

 

[Jasoncuse]

2017 Basketball Recruiting Prospects

Tucker took a tumble in the updated top 100. Fell all the way to 107.

Good, that works to our advantage if we want a class of all recruits outside the top 100!

That's also an absurd ranking for him.

 

[Day2]

Weird. ESPN did theirs yesterday and he was 40. Jerry has him at 51 and Rivals 68.

Something doesn't smell right about Skowts rankings. They have Brissett as a 3*. That is crazy.

And they don't have Blake Harris at all.

 

[Cusefan0307]

And they don't have Blake Harris at all.

They are going through bankruptcy so I wonder if they actually have the staff to see all the prospects right now and instead are just picking names out of a hat after about the top 30.

 

[HoustonCuse]

Weird. ESPN did theirs yesterday and he was 40. Jerry has him at 51 and Rivals 68.

Something doesn't smell right about Skowts rankings. They have Brissett as a 3*. That is crazy.

Just means that ESPN thinks he will wind up at Duke and Skowt thinks he'll wind up at Cuse.

 

[NineOneSeven]

If Tucker happens to choose another school, just imagine this thread. Im sweating thinking about it.

 

[JLine]

If Tucker happens to choose another school, just imagine this thread. Im sweating thinking about it.

Will be locked within 24 hours.

 

[Madbiker]

Saw he will visit Ga Tech on April 28-29. Anyone know when he goes to Oregon?

 

[jordville]

Saw he will visit Ga Tech on April 28-29. Anyone know when he goes to Oregon?

He is supposed to this week.