Husky Roster Review: Tucker Keeps Missing Out on March

Arriving as a McDonald's All-American, Bryson Tucker played in 23 basketball games as an Indiana freshman in the 2024-25 season, was benched in mid-February as the school prepared to fire his coach and couldn't leave that messy situation fast enough.

"In the program, I just wasn't used," he said.

A year later, the 6-foot-7 Tucker appeared in two fewer games for the University of Washington this winter and was shut down again in February, yet there were positive signs emanating from his time with the Huskies.

He started 14 games and looked ever confident while he was fed lob passes and dunked on opponents. UW coach Danny Sprinkle was his biggest supporter all long and it all seemed to resurrect Tucker's college career.

His inactivity this time stemmed from a severe ankle injury early on and a personal matter that sat him down late.

Tucker's objective going forward: Get his game into March.

Bryson Tucker goes hard to the bucket against Penn State. | Dave Sizer photo

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 16 on the Husky basketball roster -- examining what each scholarship and walk-on player did this past winter and whether he lived up to expectations.

For Tucker, he seemed to exceed what was required of him in Montlake with the caveat that he needs to keep going and be even more of a factor on game night.

Bryson Tucker goest to the floor after a loose ball. | Dave Sizer photo

Averaging 5.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, Tucker just couldn't keep his personal momentum going for a long time.

He scored in double figures in the first two games of the season -- putting together a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double in his first Husky game -- before he went crashing to the floor against Baylor with a severely sprained ankle and missed the next month of the season.

Tucker wouldn't reclaim his starting spot until mid-January, started 11 consecutive games and then sat out the final five outings of the season.

Bryson Tucker launches a mid-range jumper against Michigan. | Dave Sizer photo

While he appeared to suffer a hand or thumb injury down the stretch, Sprinkle also said the then-sophomore from Bowie, Maryland, was dealing with a personal matter, though offering no details regarding the nature of it.

Tucker provided the Huskies with an unusual offensive weapon, shooting 43.6 percent mostly as a mid-range shooter, with the 3-point range not necessarily his forte as indicated by his 26.1 percent accuracy behind the line.

Sprinkle seems heavily invested in this guy, making him a starter and continually working on his confidence level.

The Huskies might benefit greatly if Tucker can get himself ready to play in March for the first time as a college player.

That's when Big Ten and NCAA tournaments are held, of course, and it's a shame for him to keep missing out on the best part of the season.