Butler Basketball: Duke transfer Jordan Tucker commits to the Bulldogs

Jordan Tucker, a transfer from Duke, has committed to play for LaVall Jordan and Butler basketball. This is a major get for the future of the program.

On Jan. 15, Butler basketball fans received some great news. Jordan Tucker, a former top-100 recruit out of high school, committed to transfer to the Bulldogs. Although he originally committed to Duke and played in two games there, he elected to switch schools due to a lack of playing time. Tucker was choosing between Butler, who he visited for their game against Marquette, and Georgetown. When he arrives on Butler’s campus to play (likely second semester of next season), there will be no shortage of minutes for the young star.

If he does decide to start playing on the court with the team for the second semester of the 2018-19 season, he will be a sophomore in eligibility.

After this season, Kelan Martin will graduate from Butler, leaving a big hole in the rotation that Tucker can fill. On paper, this looks like a tremendously good fit. There are already three young wings on the roster in Christian David, Sean McDermott, and Henry Baddley but all four (including Tucker now) have the ability to either play down to the shooting guard spot or play up to the power forward.

Tucker is a 6’7″ elite sharpshooter who can create off the dribble as well. Considering the distribution abilities of freshman Aaron Thompson and sophomore Kamar Baldwin, Tucker should be able to get the ball in positions to score often. The youngster will get all kinds of opportunities to succeed with the program and he will join an already talented roster.

Butler Bulldogs Basketball

While it will be difficult for Butler to recover from losing Martin and Tyler Wideman after the season, Tucker will be able to cushion that blow. He will obviously be a tremendous addition to the team for the next couple of seasons but he will also help out in recruiting.

This is only LaVall Jordan’s first year as head coach for the Bulldogs and he has already snagged a former top-100 recruit for his team. This not only shows his ability to recruit but shows how well regarded Butler is nationally. On-the-court success is one of the most important parts of signing high-level recruits and Butler has sustained success for the past several years.

If Tucker is able to succeed under Jordan at Butler in the next few years that will open up the door for more top recruits to come to Butler. When top high school players start to see a school recruit, play, and develop the talent of someone on Tucker’s level, that leads to more interest from those athletes.

It is still early in the LaVall Jordan era to say he is great coach or recruiter, but he is off to a pretty darn good start.

Next: Where is Butler in our latest Bracketology?

For the future of the Bulldogs, the acquisition of Jordan Tucker is huge. He will be able to step into an immediate role with the team next season. If Tucker elects to join the team for the second semester of 2018-19, watch out for Butler to shoot up the rankings with more depth, shooting, and scoring.