2019 Grad Transfer Rayjon Tucker (UALR) commits to Memphis

[ellitor 33,062]

14 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

if we get this fella, Id be cool with Shariff(e) staying a 2020 prospect

One doesn't effect the other. Tucker is an off guard & wing. Cooper is a PG all the way & would push for major PT this year if not eventually start.

[AuburnNTexas 7,127]

He would be huge in filling the hole left by Bryce Brown as he is a more complete offensive player then Brown. At 6'5" he is a more ideal SG size then Brown with a nice stroke and the ability to go to the rack.  Now whether he has the ice water in his veins like Brown and the killer instinct like Brown remains to be seen. Brown was and is one of my all time favorite Auburn players but this kid would really help us at SG. Add Sharife Cooper and Turbo at PG along with McCormack and my fears of a drop off because of guard player goes way down.  Assuming we get Tucker and Cooper along with other incoming players both freshman and redshirt with players returning we could be better than I would have thought two weeks ago. We will have the talent then how fast can Bruce turn individual talent into a team that plays together and likes each other as much as last years team will be the question.

[Rednilla 5,383]

On 4/17/2019 at 9:26 AM, tigerbrotha12 said:

Getting easier now that AU is among those names in prestige

I'm sorry, Auburn isn't a particularly prestigious basketball school (yet), especially not compared to UNC and Kansas. We've been past the Sweet 16 only twice in program history.

Don't get me wrong, I do definitely think we're on our way up, and not just for making the Final Four. Bruce Pearl is the real deal, and he certainly seems 100% committed to Auburn. We'll probably get another decade or so out of him (he's 59), and the sky is the limit as far as how far he'll take us...but the Tar Heels and Jayhawks are basketball royalty. It would take winning a couple of national titles coupled with "down" seasons being 25+ wins for Bruce to get us anywhere close to their level of prestige.

[Dunndone414 469]

12 hours ago, Rednilla said:

I'm sorry, Auburn isn't a particularly prestigious basketball school (yet), especially not compared to UNC and Kansas. We've been past the Sweet 16 only twice in program history.

Don't get me wrong, I do definitely think we're on our way up, and not just for making the Final Four. Bruce Pearl is the real deal, and he certainly seems 100% committed to Auburn. We'll probably get another decade or so out of him (he's 59), and the sky is the limit as far as how far he'll take us...but the Tar Heels and Jayhawks are basketball royalty. It would take winning a couple of national titles coupled with "down" seasons being 25+ wins for Bruce to get us anywhere close to their level of prestige.

IMO, this is a program defining stretch. A moment like this may not come around again - it is crucial that we capitalize and build on this recent success. More top recruits and more tournament success will snowball and ensure the standard for recruiting/successful seasons is permanently raised. We want a program that is a contender long after Bruce is gone. 

[ellitor 33,062]

On 4/24/2019 at 11:28 AM, ellitor said:

One doesn't effect the other. Tucker is an off guard & wing. Cooper is a PG all the way & would push for major PT this year if not eventually start.

Why the angry emoji @Dual-Threat Rigby? Getting both would be a good thing.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,641]

3 hours ago, ellitor said:

Why the angry emoji @Dual-Threat Rigby? Getting both would be a good thing.

There’s nothing behind the emojis I use 

I just don’t think we’d need to burn a year of Sharife to be a title favorite if we got this guy 

[Rednilla 5,383]

On 4/26/2019 at 2:42 PM, Dunndone414 said:

We want a program that is a contender long after Bruce is gone. 

Indeed we do, but I think he's a culture changing type of coach. I mean, we've seen what kind of crowds he's been drawing to the arena, and he now has 2 SEC titles and a Final Four run here on the Plains. All he has to do is more of the same, and whenever he does retire, there are going to be a lot of passionate fans (not to mention a roster full of talent) waiting for whomever takes over next, so this will be a plum destination for a hot shot coach.

[toddc 13,194]

17 hours ago, Rednilla said:

Indeed we do, but I think he's a culture changing type of coach. I mean, we've seen what kind of crowds he's been drawing to the arena, and he now has 2 SEC titles and a Final Four run here on the Plains. All he has to do is more of the same, and whenever he does retire, there are going to be a lot of passionate fans (not to mention a roster full of talent) waiting for whomever takes over next, so this will be a plum destination for a hot shot coach.

Amen brother! Success breeds success!

[Tigerfinz 1,362]

Perhaps we will see a transition to Steven Pearl as the next coach at Auburn in say 10 years...😉

[GwillMac6 20,607]

6 minutes ago, Tigerfinz said:

Perhaps we will see a transition to Steven Pearl as the next coach at Auburn in say 10 years...😉

lol I certainly hope not. When has hiring the son of a legendary coach ever worked out?! lol. Off the top of my head Bobby Knight and Eddie Suttons son were awful coaches when they got their shot at power 5 schools. 

[Gene Loblaw 636]

17 minutes ago, Tigerfinz said:

Perhaps we will see a transition to Steven Pearl as the next coach at Auburn in say 10 years...😉

He’s proven to be a good recruiter. Doubt he’d want stick around for ten years though. My guess is he’ll leave for a small Hc job in 4-5 years, and depending on how he does there, he may get an opportunity to take over after his dad. But AU isn’t gonna just hand it to him imo

[AuburnNTexas 7,127]

It appears the Cooper re-classifying is a rumor without legs so picking up Tucker to address our loosing Brown becomes really big. So lets hope that BP can pull him into the fold.

[KolchakAU85 430]

When is this guy expected to make a decision?

[AuburnArch13 185]

2 hours ago, KolchakAU85 said:

When is this guy expected to make a decision?

He’s said he’ll probably decide right after his Kansas visit (May 10-12). He wants to know where he’s going before the NBA draft, in case he doesn’t get drafted. It’s not 100% that he announces pre-draft as far as I can tell, but it sounds like he’ll at least let the teams know.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article229567459.html

[Beaker 2,457]

I know he played at UALR but I feel this guy would/could (nearly) plug a HUGE hole.   Really, with his experience and comfort with coaching staff - the sky is the limit.   And he gets to the charity stripe a lot.    I really hope we get this guy.  

[crococile22 52]

https://auburn.rivals.com/news/grad-transfer-rayjon-tucker-talks-finalists-upcoming-decision

[GwillMac6 20,607]

5 hours ago, crococile22 said:

https://auburn.rivals.com/news/grad-transfer-rayjon-tucker-talks-finalists-upcoming-decision

Jeffrey Lee • AuburnSports.com

@JLeeAURivals

Rayjon Tucker 

is nearing a decision.

The graduate transfer from Arkansas-Little Rock has taken five official visits and is now working to narrow his list to one.

“I’ll be making my decision in the next week or so,” Tucker said. “All five schools (West Virginia, Auburn, Memphis, Iowa State, Kansas) are finalists. It’s all about choosing the one that me and my mom feel is the best fit for me.”

ucker talked about each of his finalists and why they made the cut:

West Virginia: “Just the style of play, how hard they play. Bob Huggins is a hard-nosed coach and fits my personality well. I love the staff there, the guys. They all embraced me on my visit.”

Auburn: “Auburn is more like a home feel with Coach (Wes) Flanigan being there. I also like their style of play with how they run and shoot the ball. They play up and down. Coach BP (Bruce Pearl) is also great. Auburn has Bryce (Brown) and Malik (Dunbar) leaving and they think I’m a little bit of both of them. They think I could help fill those minutes that they’re losing next year.”

Memphis: “With them having three former NBA players on the staff, it would be a great learning opportunity. I played them last year and I like their style of play. They like to get up and down, too.”

Iowa State: “They’ve been good with fifth-year transfers. They have a track record of bringing in fifth-year guys and letting them rock out. They also play an up-and-down pace, and Coach (Steve) Prohm is a great coach.”

Kansas: “They have a history of putting out big-time guards and big-time post men. They have a lot of guys in the NBA. Bill Self is a Hall of Famer. He’s a great coach.”

Tucker’s criteria for making his choice is simple.

“I’m looking at the coaching staff and the players,” Tucker said. “Who I vibe with the most will definitely be a big part of my decision because I’ll only be there for 9-12 months and that’s who I will be with the majority of the time.”

Tucker hasn’t set a date for his decision and doesn’t plan to.

“I’ll just announce whenever I know,” Tucker said. “Whenever me and my mom have a chance to sit down and really think and talk about it.”

Tucker, who has one year of eligibility remaining, will finish classes at Arkansas-Little Rock this week and report to his next destination this summer. He’s also still considering the NBA.

[AuburnNTexas 7,127]

Every time I see somebody has updated this thread I jump on hoping against hope that he has decided and is coming to Auburn.  I think his talent and being an experienced player would go a long way towards easing the loss of players like Harper, Brown, Dunbar and helping some of the new talented players coming in. This kid could be a great mentor to players like Okoro.  

[AuburnArch13 185]

2 hours ago, AuburnNTexas said:

Every time I see somebody has updated this thread I jump on hoping against hope that he has decided and is coming to Auburn.  I think his talent and being an experienced player would go a long way towards easing the loss of players like Harper, Brown, Dunbar and helping some of the new talented players coming in. This kid could be a great mentor to players like Okoro.  

He visited Kansas this last weekend. Said after the visit he still wants to visit Iowa St. before he decides. Assuming that’s true, I’d imagine the earliest we’d know is early next week if he were to take his visit this weekend. I don’t think that he’s set a date for it yet though.

[aujeff11 6,243]

21 minutes ago, AuburnArch13 said:

He visited Kansas this last weekend. Said after the visit he still wants to visit Iowa St. before he decides. Assuming that’s true, I’d imagine the earliest we’d know is early next week if he were to take his visit this weekend. I don’t think that he’s set a date for it yet though.

Judging by his comments and his Twitter, Kansas is the main threat. 

[KolchakAU85 430]

If he's not completely sold on AU, then let him go elsewhere.  We're not beggars anymore.  We're choosers, thanks to Bruce Pearl.

[Dunndone414 469]

12 hours ago, AuburnArch13 said:

He visited Kansas this last weekend. Said after the visit he still wants to visit Iowa St. before he decides. Assuming that’s true, I’d imagine the earliest we’d know is early next week if he were to take his visit this weekend. I don’t think that he’s set a date for it yet though.

He visited ISU midweek last week. Decision could be imminent. I don’t think anyone knows where he lands right now - at least 4 of the 5 schools feel reasonably good about their chances. 

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

On 5/7/2019 at 6:42 PM, aujeff11 said:

Judging by his comments and his Twitter, Kansas is the main threat. 

Threat to Auburn, or threat as the leader?

[Gene Loblaw 636]

I’d like to think that his previous relationship with coach Flannigan has AU ahead by a nice distance

[aujeff11 6,243]

We lost out to Memphis.