“When knuckleheads at 14 years old think they know it all, but you can prove on film that you weren’t playing help defense. Film doesn’t lie, and that’s the best thing that’s ever been given me.” ~ Rajon Rondo Hey Reader! Do you actually know what you look like on the court? And no, I’m not talking about the color of your Kobes. I’m talking about your game. It’s hard to remember the little details of how you actually played until you go back and watch the film. Or have someone like me break...
28 days ago • 3 min read
“"It’s not a failure; it’s steps to success... There’s no failure in sports. There’s good days, bad days... Some days it’s your turn, some days it’s not your turn.” ~ Giannis Antetokounmpo Hey Reader! Spoiler alert: You won't die from shooting an airball. You're not going to lose an arm if you turn the ball over in a close game. You definitely won't starve because your man scored a backdoor layup. The real worst-case scenario is looking back a few years from now and realizing you spent your...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
“When I watch films, I’m always looking at not just what is happening, but what could happen, good and bad. It would take me 4.5 hours to watch one game, just because I was curious and trying to figure new things out.” ~ Kobe Bryant Hey Reader! I used to cringe watching my game film. Seriously. My mom recorded basically every game I played growing up, and for some reason, I could hardly ever get myself to sit down and watch them. I’d rather get shots up, lift, or play pickup. Especially if I...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
“There’s a lot of remedies you can use as a basketball player to get better, but the easiest thing you can do is go to sleep.” — Kevin Durant Hey Reader! Note to 12-year-old Tucker. One day, you’re going to play D1 basketball and then pro basketball overseas. You’re even going to help kids your age follow in your footsteps. Not because you’re suddenly going to wake up with crazy hops. Not because you’re going to grow to 6'10". It’s going to happen because you’re already doing a lot of stuff...
3 months ago • 4 min read
“I learned what my weaknesses were, and I went out the next day to turn those weaknesses into strengths.” ~ Larry Bird Hey Reader! Am I actually recruitable? If you’re serious about playing in college, I’m guessing that question lives in the back of your mind pretty much all the time. And it should. There are way more good high school players all over the world than there are roster spots. But it’s tricky. “Recruitable” isn’t just about how many points you score or how athletic you are....
3 months ago • 3 min read
“I want to practice to the point where it’s almost uncomfortable how fast you shoot, so that in the game things kind of slow down.” – Stephen Curry Hey Reader! Parent: “How was practice today?” You: “Great.” Was it really? Your parents weren’t there, so they take your word for it. If you say “great” every time they ask, they'll assume you should be starting, getting more minutes, playing varsity, averaging 20. But should you… based on how you actually practice? Here’s a simple test. If a...
4 months ago • 3 min read
“Why would I think about missing a shot that I haven’t taken yet?” ~ Michael Jordan. Hey Reader! About 2 weeks ago, I played my last pro game with HLA Lucentum in Alicante, Spain. Not because the season is over. Not because I'm injured. I got cut. There is a lot I could say about this. How getting cut as an overseas pro basketball player works, why I think the situation played out the way it did, what I'm going to do next. But what's really interesting is that for the first time in my career,...
5 months ago • 3 min read
“I know my shot will fall. It’s just confidence, honestly. You can’t get down on yourself. You can’t focus on the negative. If you’re in your head, from experience, it never works out.” ~Aubrey Galvan, 5'6" Vanderbilt Point Guard Hey Reader! My mom sent me a text the other day: “Unbothered. Good subject for the next newsletter.” She was talking about Vanderbilt’s freshman point guard Aubrey Galvan. She’s 5'6" and playing point guard for the No. 5 ranked team in the country, which is insane....
5 months ago • 3 min read
“When everyone zigs, zag.” ~ Marty Neumeier, author of Zag Hey there! “Sadly just playing hard is a skill now.” That’s the exact text I got from a Division I coach this week when I asked him his thoughts on a player. Think about that. Playing hard is now considered a skill because so few players actually do it. College coaches get hundreds of emails a week. So, they have to quickly narrow down the list of potential recruits by position, height, GPA. If you’re a guard who can’t shoot, you’re...
5 months ago • 4 min read