Tucker clutch for champion Bluejays

sports@standard-democrat.com

CHARLESTON -- Greatness in basketball is usually measured by whose hands are on the ball when the final seconds are ticking away.

When the Charleston Bluejays found themselves in crucial situations, Greg Tucker had the ball in his hands.

Tucker exemplifies what it means to be a clutch player. Countless times, the senior sank free throw after free throw to put the Bluejays ahead or solidify a winning outcome.

Charleston head coach Danny Farmer wouldn't have had the ball in anyone else's hands.

Neither would Tucker.

"I'm definitely comfortable in that role," Tucker said. "I've been doing it for the past two years. It's nothing new."

"He can go down the stretch in the fourth quarter, shoot perfect from the free throw line and hit the key shots in the key moments with the game on the line," Farmer added. "I was very confident with the ball in his hands. He can take over the game."

Tucker capped an outstanding high school career with 20.6 points, three rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.3 assists per game during his senior campaign.

He was the anchor for Charleston's first state championship since 2007 and 11th overall in the Bluejays' illustrious basketball history.

Tucker made his presence known in more ways than one on the court.

He led Charleston in scoring with a tireless effort to get to the rim, superb shooting from the free throw line and being able to stretch his game to the perimeter where his jump shot reigned supreme.

"I try to get to the rim or get an open shot for me or one of my teammates," Tucker said about the way he plays the game. "I'm just trying to make the right play, whether it's scoring, making the right pass or getting to the free throw line. Whatever it takes."

Tucker used that mentality on the defensive end as well.

Although most spectators looked at Tucker as primarily a scorer, he came up just as clutch as a defender down the stretch as well.

"A lot of other coaches see it, but I don't think people realize how good of a defender he is," said Farmer. "He led us in steals. In crucial times when we needed a defensive stop, Greg knew what to do, how to apply the pressure and make the guy turn the ball over -- make his guy make a decision that he didn't want to do. He did that time and time again."

Possibly Tucker's finest clutch performance came during the Bluejays' quarterfinal game against Crystal City.

He scored 23 of his game high 32 points in the second half -- 14 in the fourth quarter -- shielding the Hornets away from a surprise victory.

Tucker knocked down all 10 of his free throws in the fourth quarter, guiding the Bluejays to a 71-63 win.

Just like in all of Charleston's close games, Tucker made the decision to attack the basket in the final minutes.

"We really just focused on playing our style of basketball," Tucker said. "We really don't adjust to anyone else. They have to adjust to us."

He beat defenders with a quick first step and drew contact while rushing towards the rim.

From there, Tucker would calmly sink nearly every free throw he took.

"That was our 'end of the game' plan, game-in and game-out," Farmer said. "In the end, we knew he could come through."

Charleston, who finished with a 31-2 record, rarely found themselves trailing late in the game. Tucker's role was more of a safety net, to protect the lead with his sure hands and automatic stroke from the free throw line. He iced games from the charity stripe on every occasion he had during his senior year.

"To have that type of player on your team, you feel like you have an advantage on the other team," Farmer said. "All you want to do is keep the game close until the end. I think we won a lot of games just by having Greg be able to do that.

"Always in the tough games, he could pull the team through. He's a great leader."

Tucker scored 27 points and hit 15 of his 19 free throws taken in his final game as a Bluejay -- the Class 3 state championship game.

He led the Bluejays past Hogan Prep, which is the team that knocked them out of the running for a possible state championship last season in the semifinal round.

"That was the biggest motivating factor in the world for us as a team," said Tucker about losing to Hogan Prep in 2011. "We just wanted to get back to Columbia and win it all. We knew exactly what it took, so we went up there and took care of business."

Although Tucker was a nightmare for opposing teams to attempt to slow down, possibly his biggest attribute to the Bluejays was his sheer presence on the floor.

Knowing what he could do with the ball in his hands, defenses were drawn to Tucker on nearly every possession. The senior was blessed with fellow all-stater Ryan Parham as well as Aaron Cassell, who both averaged over 10 points per game, to open the floor and give the Bluejays countless options on how they could score.

"When Greg plays, everybody else plays well," said Farmer. "He takes the pressure off of all the other players. As long as that happened, they could be comfortable and be able to do the things that they do well.

"I think that's why we were the state champions this year because of (that)."

Tucker will be moving on to Northern Colorado, where he signed his letter of intent to play for coach B.J. Hill and the Bears.

In his first year on the job, Hill led Northern Colorado to its first Big Sky Conference regular-season and postseason titles and its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

"I like the style of play on offense," Tucker said. "They use a lot of ball screens and they want to play a fast pace. I really like their coach, B.J. Hill, he's an up and coming coach."

Upon visiting Northern Colorado's campus, many things caught Tucker's attention which made his decision to attend the Division I school that much easier.

"Me and my father took a visit and they had beautiful weather, beautiful girls and they have really nice facilities up there. Everyone seemed really nice and really cool."

"To me, I think he can go to the college level and get better," Farmer said. "Lots of people probably would think that since it's so far away that he would have a few problems staying far away. Greg is not a home-body."

Tucker's senior season couldn't have been scripted any better.

The Nell Holcomb graduate who made the move to Charleston with his mother following his eighth grade year never imagined this could happen to him.

"Greg puts a lot into the game on his own," said Farmer. "He's a very self-motivated individual and those are the kinds of kids you need to have to win championships. Greg was just a model student, player, team player and just did it well."

He had the pleasure of lifting his only state championship trophy and giving Charleston yet another banner to hang in an already overcrowded gymnasium.

"I guess it's been more of a dream season," Tucker said. "Just to win a state championship, sign with a Division I college and to win a lot of games and beat a lot of teams, it's really a dream come true."