Memphis Basketball: Impact of grad transfer Rayjon Tucker for Tigers

Rayjon Tucker has stunned the NCAA basketball world with his commitment. He has decided to join Memphis Basketball Tigers for the 2019-20 season.

Memphis Basketball has done an amazing job on the recruiting trail for this season and that has them bringing in one of the best classes in the country. They do have some talent returning from a year ago with guys such as Tyler Harris and Alex Lomax, but the majority of their rotation will be made up of newcomers, including grad transfer Rayjon Tucker.

Tucker had an outstanding season at Arkansas Little-Rock this past year after he spent his first two seasons at Florida Gulf Coast as a role player. He averaged just 6.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game at FGCU, but this past season at Little-Rock he averaged 20.3 points and 6.7 rebounds on 49% shooting including 41% from three-point range.

When you make the jump from a small school to a big school there’s an adjustment period when it comes to matching up with better talent, but Tucker has what it takes to have success at Memphis. He isn’t going to be the only newcomer trying to fit in on a talented team though as incoming recruits such as Lester Quinones and the number one recruit in the nation James Wiseman, are expected to be key players.

Penny Hardaway has done an outstanding job turning this program around in a short period of time. He showed he can coach at a high level with the success he had a year ago and after bringing in an elite recruiting class he will have a chance to do it with one of the most talented rosters in the nation.

The implications of this season could be huge for the future of this program. If Memphis is able to compete for a championship right away and they’re able to do a good job managing all the minutes between the high recruits, then they could be bringing in recruiting classes such as this one annually. That’s much easier said than done, but with the talent, they have expectations are going to be very high.

Tucker’s commitment could also lead to other recruits such as RJ Hampton and Boogie Ellis playing elsewhere. They were considered the favorite for both of them just recently, but they seem to prefer a starring role and I’m not sure Memphis can offer that. The chance to play for an exciting up and coming program is intriguing though so I wouldn’t rule them out for any of the prospects they are after.

The Tigers lost in the 2nd round of the NIT a year ago and now the goal should be to advance to at least the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament. Winning in March is tough for all teams, let alone a team full of newcomers with a young coach, but this is something all programs must go through. If they can prove themselves this season, then they have a chance to become one of the premier programs in the country, as they were when John Calipari was their coach.

While bringing in all of the young freshman talents are exciting, it’s also good to bring in an upperclassman who has already spent multiple seasons in college. He was in a much smaller conference so he’ll have adjustments of his own to make, but having him already knowing what it takes will help him lead the freshman throughout the season. The Memphis Tigers are putting together a very exciting roster and as things currently stand, Rayjon Tucker has a very good chance to be in the starting lineup.