Indiana basketball lands commitment from 2024 5-star wing Bryson Tucker

The Indiana basketball program has landed a commitment from major five-star prospect and McDonald’s All-American Bryson Tucker from Bishop O’Connell (Va.). Tucker — who has flown under-the-radar at times due to not playing true AAU or summer basketball on a circuit, committed to Indiana on Thursday.

Tucker is the fourth-straight spring commitment from the Indiana basketball program — joining Tamar Bates, Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako, which were all top-30 prospects.

Tucker took a visit to Indiana during the last week of March, a source confirmed to HoosierIllustrated.com.

He committed to Indiana basketball over programs like Michigan State and Kansas as well as the G-League Ignite. Michigan State and the G-League were the two options that had the most pulse over the last 12 months, but just recently it was announced that the Ignite team would be cancelling its program.

Tucker is a 6-foot-7 versatile wing who can play on the perimeter and in the paint. Because he doesn’t play travel over the summer, there are limited times where he is matched up against top-end competition nationally. One of those events is the NBPA Top 100 camp. This year, he was a standout performer averaging 19.2 points on 64.3 percent shooting.

“Tucker is a big wing who has a pretty polished game on the offensive end of the floor,” 247Sports national basketball director Eric Bossi wrote on his profile page. “He is able to use his size to finish in the lane where he is also a very functional athlete who can get off the floor quickly in small spaces, changes direction well in traffic and has a great frame to build on in a college weight room. Where he really stands out, though, is with his ability to score from the mid range. Tucker gets to his spots without wasting dribbles, elevates and is problematic for defenses trying to stop him from scoring from between 12 and 17 feet.

“As Tucker gets away from the rim and shoots deeper jumpers, his shot does tend to flatten out a bit so while he’s not a poor shooter from beyond the three-point line, there’s still plenty of room for him to improve out there. While he’s able to quickly get to his spots for one and two dribble pull-ups, Tucker could also benefit from developing his handle a bit more. Because of his size and ability to carry more muscle on his lean frame, he should be able to make the adjustment to the college game relatively quickly.”

As a member of the 2021 USA Basketball U16 National Team, Tucker averaged 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds. Team USA went 6-0 and won the Gold Medal.

Indiana basketball assistant Kenya Hunter was heavily involved in the communication because of his relationships on the east coast, especially with ties to Bishop O’Connell. Former Indiana point guard Xavier Johnson also played there.

Tucker is ranked the No. 20 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is the No. 7 small forward in the class.

Tucker is the joining Jalen Hood-Schifino, Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako as five-star high school prospects Mike Woodson has landed. It’s the second straight season Indiana has landed a McDonald’s All-American.

Tucker is the only commit in the 2024 class for Indiana basketball after five-star wing Liam McNeeley decommitted earlier this winter.

SEE ALSO: Video Highlights — Indiana basketball 2024 5-star commit Bryson Tucker

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