University of Memphis Athletics
Women's Basketball Adds One for 2007-08 Season
Aug 28, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Aug. 28, 2007
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis women's basketball team has added another Memphis-area prep product to the 2007-08 roster as Booker T. Washington's Valencia Tucker has joined the team as a walk-on it was announced by head coach Blair Savage-Lansden, Tuesday.
Tucker helped her Booker T. Washington (BTW) team to a 30-7 record her senior season and is a two-time Tennessee Sportswriters Association Class AA All-State Team honoree. Tucker, who passed the 1400 career point mark as a junior in high school, averaged 15.3 points, 3.5 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game as a senior at BTW, also adding 42 charges drawn, 86 steals and 18 blocked shots. She was a three-year team captain at BTW and was named the team MVP as a junior. She was also the 16 AA Most Outstanding Player, a 16 AA All-District honoree and an 8 AA All-Region team honoree. During her senior year, she was named the Memphis Commercial Appeal Prep Player of the Week and was named to the Best of the West All-Star team after averaging 14.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while guiding her team to an eighth place finish at the tournament in California. Her Lady Warriors team went 14-0 through league play in her senior season and secured a spot in the MIAA Small Schools City Championship. The Commercial Appeal also named Tucker a Pepsi Best of Preps Finalist following her senior year.
"When we got the call from Ken Bennett and Coach Hunter and Coach McKinney about Valencia coming and being a part of our basketball program, we were elated to have someone of her character and athleticism," Head Coach Blair Savage-Lansden said. "She was a standout athlete in multiple sports at Booker T. Washington, which says a lot about her work ethic not only on the court, but also in leadership skills, which she demonstrated in school and through her association with Streets Ministries."
A 5-9 guard, Tucker was coached at BTW by Derek Hunter and Steven McKinney. She also received the Memphis area Fellowship of Christian Athletes award for the week of January 7-13th following the Best of the West tournament.
As a junior, Tucker helped her team to a 23-8 record. She was listed as one of the Top 12 seniors in the State of Tennessee by Rick Bolus' Recruiting Service, Inc., heading in to her senior season, and HerHoops.com ranked Tucker as the No. 3 senior in the Mid-South. A two-time All-Metro honoree, Tucker was also a standout athlete for the BTW softball team, serving as the team's starting shortstop. With softball, Tucker was named the MVP of the Class AA City Softball Championship as a senior.
Tucker will be the women's basketball program's fifth freshman newcomer for the upcoming 2007-08 season. She joins Shekeira Copeland, Savannah Ellis, Shae Seagraves and Alex Winchell in the 2007-08 newcomer class. That core of freshmen will also be joined by sophomore Latoya Bullard and junior Jessica Jackson after the first semester as both Bullard and Jackson will have finished sitting out their one year after transferring to Memphis from Florida last December.
Memphis returns seven letterwinners, led by lone senior Aroha Jennings. Paris Leonard and Ashley Thornton highlight the returning junior class, while Hope Adams, Alysse Davis and Se'erra Fantroy join redshirt sophomore Jessica Hall on the 2007-08 roster in prepping for their second year of collegiate playing time.
Tucker will be the fourth Memphis-area player on the 2007-08 Lady Tiger roster. She joins Paris Leonard (Wooddale HS) and Craigmont graduates Latoya Bullard and Jessica Jackson as Memphis grads suiting up in a Lady Tiger uniform.
