Rico Tucker commits to Minnesota

Rico Tucker of San Diego (CA) University has decided to commit to Minnesota after visiting the campus this weekend and receiving a home visit from the Gopher coaches earlier this week. Tucker was the Gophers’ top recruiting target. He is an athletic guard who can play both backcourt positions. He had a strong summer playing for the Pump N Run AAU team and participated in the Nike All-American Camp. Tucker is one of the top defensive guards in the country.

Rico Tucker had previously committed to nearby San Diego. However, he decided to re-open his recruitment and had received scholarship offers from schools in the Big Ten and ACC and has gotten interest from schools in the Big 12, SEC, Big East and Pac-10.

Tucker was to visit Fresno State Sept. 20 and Utah on the 27th.

San Diego, San Francisco, and Arizona State, which he visited unofficially, had all offered him a scholarship. Gonzaga and North Carolina State had also offered him a scholarship, but both programs got point guard help. Gonzaga received a commitment from Pierre-Marie Altidor-Cespedes and North Carolina State landed Georgetown transfer Tony Bethel.

Tucker had previously told me that 6-9 Minnesota commitment Spencer Tollackson of Chaska (MN) High did a good job of recruiting him for the Gophers at the Nike Camp. Tollackson had received a list of players that the Gophers were recruiting from head coach Dan Monson and told Tucker all the positives of the program. Gopher commitments Tollackson and Miles Webb also visited Minnesota this weekend on an official visit.

Tucker has told me that he liked Minnesota and its style of play. He stated that he wants to play at a big school and knew that Minnesota is one of the biggest universities in the country.

Some basketball observers felt that he and Wesley Washington could form the top defensive backcourt in the country. Gopher fans could hold onto hope that Washington could enroll at Minnesota in January. Some people close to the program thought that the temporary loss of Washington could hurt their chances with Tucker.

His high school team will return four starters on a senior-dominated squad. They finished 16-16 last season, after being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs on a shot at the buzzer.