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7/13/05

RECRUITING: Ohio State, PU still on Tucker’s list<!--ENDHEADLINE-->

July 13, 2005

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=380 border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#003399><TD>By Justin Breen / Post-Tribune staff writer</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--COPY-->



Two Big Ten schools remain big on Jamil Tucker’s list.

Late Tuesday, the West Side senior-to-be said he’s still more than interested in playing basketball at Ohio State or Purdue, contradicting what his coach, John Boyd, said in a recent report in another newspaper.

“Of course I’m still interested,” said Tucker, who was participating with his SYF Players AAU team at the Nike Peach Jam, a prestigious tournament in North Augusta, S.C.

Tucker was miffed Boyd said the star Cougars player was not considering Purdue because Boilermakers coach Matt Painter wouldn’t guarantee a starting position.

“I never lost interest because of that,” Tucker said. “Isn’t (a starting job) something you earn in the first place? I thought that’s how you did it. You earn your spot.”

Tucker said he was still considering Ohio State, which has not offered him a scholarship, because, “I never took them off my list in the first place.”

Boyd had said he was upset the Buckeyes did not offer Tucker a scholarship and took it as a sign of disrespect. The Buckeyes already have some of Tucker’s Spiece Indy Heat AAU teammates — national player of the year Greg Oden, Mike Conley and Daequan Cook — committed to their program.

Tucker originally had the Buckeyes No. 1 on his list, but he said that list now is wide open. USC, Purdue, Indiana, Miami, Arizona and San Jose State also are among his choices.

Tucker said he’d like to make his decision after the tournament, which ends Saturday, but before the end of July.

“But there’s no rush,” he said.

Boyd said his words were taken out of context, and that he wanted to keep Tucker’s recruiting affairs out of the media from now on.

“It’s getting a little ugly,” said Boyd, who added “I’m not going to eat my words.”

Tucker said he and Boyd have barely seen each other since the end of the school year, and that this was all “just a case of miscommunication.”

“He did this because he thinks I’m a certain type of player, and he thinks I deserve a certain type of respect,” Tucker said. “I do appreciate what he did, but I don’t see why he had to go about it the way he does.”

Tucker, a 6-foot-9 guard/forward, averaged 18.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game for the Cougars.

The SYF Players went 1-1 on Tuesday at the Peach Jam. Tucker scored a game-high 18 points during a 65-54 loss to New York Gauchos on Tuesday morning. Contact Justin Breen at 648-3122 or jbreen@post-trib.com

I doubt Tucker will get an offer after this saga plays out. Sources are basically saying that Tucker did not play as well as he needed to and Morgan did.