POINT GUARD ED TUCKER LEAVES UT PROGRAM

July 14, 2008 -  Ed Tucker, a junior college point guard, has left the UT program as confirmed by Gene Cross today.

Tucker played for a 28-5 Highland (IL) Community College team this past season and played his high school basketball at Saginaw Arthur Hill High School. The signing of Tucker so late in the school year was considered a coup for Cross, because the Rockets were heading into the upcoming season with no experienced point guard. Tucker seemed to have the inside track as the starter.

Regarding Tucker's departure, Cross said, “It was a mutual decision that this wasn’t the best place for him. We wish him well in his future endeavors.”

With true freshman Larry Bastfield the only point guard now on the roster, it seems likely that Cross will need to sign another player. Cross said, “If there are players out there who are good enough and are a good fit for our program, then we will go after them. Otherwise, we will go into the season with the scholarship players that we have.”