Welcome To The Valley

Welcome to the Valley will be an ongoing series on draft picks and newcomers to the Valley Sports Scene. The first installment is on Alando Tucker.

With the 29th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, the Phoenix Suns drafted a fairly well-thought of, if not slightly undersized, forward/guard from the University of Wisconsin by the name of Alando Tucker. And with that pick, I was forced to root for someone I had spent the last five years of my life rooting vehemently against. Suddenly i was forced to change my tune on this player. Welcome to the Valley, Alando Tucker.

Tucker made an immediate impact in college at Wisconsin, playing in 27 of 32 games his freshman year and averaging 12 points and 6 boards. In his second year however, the 2002-2003 season, he injured his foot and appeared in just 4 games. After applying for and receiving a medical redshirt, Tucker proved to be a valuable member of their basketball team in the next three years, culminating in his being named the Big Ten’s Player of the Year and being named a First Team All-American his senior year. He also finished as Wisconsin’s all time leading scorer, with 2,217 points scored in his career.

While this seems all well and good to most Suns fans, it was particularly painful watching him as an alumni of the University of Iowa. Tucker always seemed to come up big against Iowa, evidenced by him averaging 19.6 points against them in his final three years, going for 20+ in four of those games and going 5-1. And while he tormented the Hawkeyes for years, I always admired and respected his ability and willingness to attack the rim, despite being only 6’6’’ and listed as a generous 205lbs.

And that’s where his upside with the Suns starts to look good. With the exception of Steve Nash barreling into the lane at every conceivable angle, the Suns have lacked someone who attacks the rim with reckless abandon the last two years. Alando Tucker has this ability. In fact, after watching him for five years at Wisconsin, I believe Tucker thoroughly enjoys and relishes getting to the rim. It is where he thrives, where he wants to be.

Having just completed the Summer League, Tucker averaged 17.4 points a game in five games, the best on the team (excluding Marcus Banks’ 42 he put up in the first game, then didn’t play again), while shooting just a tic under 42%. Though he has been taking quite a few shots (more than anyone else on the team), he has also been getting in on rebounding and assists. This is what figures to get Tucker playing time in his first season as a Sun. As a rookie you never know what to expect from a player, but if that player can demonstrate he can be valuable in many different ways, not just scoring, he will find his way onto the court. And that is precisely where Alando Tucker needs to be.

I fully believe Tucker can be a valuable contributor to this year’s Suns team as it makes a push towards the Championship. He will, of course, have his struggles, but as long as he keeps up his hustle and effort, he will have a place on this team. It was those qualities that made me hate him playing against my Hawkeye’s in college, and it is those qualities I look forward to seeing from him as a Sun.

Welcome to the Valley, Alando Tucker, and good luck. I’ll be watching, as I have been for the last five years. This time, however, I’ll be rooting for you, not against you.