Morgan Tuck

Morgan Tuck
College	Connecticut
Conference	Big East
Sport	Basketball
Position	Forward
Jersey #	3
Class	Freshman (2012)
Career	2012–present
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Nationality	American
Born	(1994-04-30) April 30, 1994 Grand Rapids, Michigan[1]
High school	Bolingbrook High School
Awards
2012 Parade All-America 2012 WBCA High School All-American 2012 McDonald’s High School All-American 2012 Gatorade Illinois Girls Basketball Player of the Year 2012 MaxPreps All-America first team 2012 USA Today All-USA first team 2012 Illinois Ms. Basketball 2011 USA Today All-USA third team 2010 ESPN Rise Sophomore of the Year 2010 USA Today All-USA second team 2009 ESPN Rise Freshman of the Year 2009 Illinois Ms. Basketball
Medal record Women’s Basketball Competitor for  United States U16 and U17 2010 U17 Rodez & Toulouse, France Team Competition U18 and U19 2011 U19 Puerto Montt, Chile Team Competition 2012 U18 Gurabo, Puerto Rico Team Competition 2013 Lithuania Team Competition

Morgan Tuck (born April 30, 1994) is an American basketball player at the University of Connecticut. She completed her high school career at Bolingbrook High School in Bolingbrook, Illinois. She played on the USA Basketball U17, U18 and U19 teams, where she helped each team win a Gold Medal.

Early years

Tuck played from an early age, but didn't think she was very good at it. She got better, and was good enough to earn a roster spot on the USA U16 team, although a knee injury prevented her from competing as a part of that team. Her high school teams had a combined record of 83–7 in her first three seasons, each of which culminated in a state championship.^[2] She was named Freshman of the Year by ESPN Rise in 2009, as well as Sophomore of the Year in 2010.^[3] Her senior year, the team had a record of 27–2, reaching the supersectionals, and failing to win the state title for the first time in her career.^[4] She averaged 27.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game as a senior.^[4] She earned the title of Ms. Basketball for the state of Illinois twice, once as a freshman and again as a senior. Only two other players have won the award twice: Cappie Pondexter and Candace Parker.^[5]

Tournament of Champions

The Tournament of Champions is an annual event, since 1997, showcasing the best high school girls basketball teams.^[6] The 2011 event, held in Phoenix, Arizona included 96 of the best basketball programs in the country.^[7] Bolingbrook, considered to be the number 1 team by USA Today, was assigned to the Smith Division, where they faced Cicero – North Syracuse High School (C-NS).^[8] The C-NS team, beat Bolingbrook 43–40 for their only loss of the tournament. After the loss to C-NS, Bolingbrook faced St. Mary's(Stockton, Calif.) Tuck put up 35 points, and dominated post play to help her team defeat St. Mary's 60–39.^[9] Tuck earned a place on the All-Tournament team,helped in part by a 35-point and 14 rebound performance against a team from Texas.^[10] She scored 35 points in two different games in the tournament.^[11]

High School Coaches' All-America Team

Tuck was selected to the 2012 Women's Basketball Coaches Association High School Coaches' All-America Team. The top twenty high school players in the country are named as WBCA All-Americans, and eligible to play in the all-star game. She participated in the 2012 WBCA High School All-America Game, scoring eight points.^[12][13]

USA Basketball

Tuck earned a spot on the U17 team in 2010. Coach Katie Meier named Tuck one of the two captains of the team, along with Breanna Stewart.^[14] The team competed in the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women, held in Rodez & Toulouse, France. Tuck earned a starting position in five of the eight games, and was the leading scorer in the game against Turkey. She helped the team win all eight games and earn the gold medal in the competition.^[15]

She continued her USA Basketball career with a position on the U19 team which competed in Puerto Montt, Chile in July 2011. Tuck started five of the nine games played.^[16] The team lost one game to Canada, but earned a spot in the medal round. The team beat France, then Brazil, and faced Spain in the gold-medal game. The lead changed several times in the early minutes, but the USA team opened up a larger lead, and won the gold medal.^[17]

Tuck was named to the USA U18 team in 2012. The team was competing at the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women, held in Gurabo, Puerto Rico in August 2012.^[18] The team dominated the preliminary rounds, winning each of the three games by at least 40 points. In the semifinal game against Canada, Tuck hit nine of twelve field goal attempts and scored 22 points to lead all scorers, and help the USA team defeat Canada 95–46.^[19] In the gold-medal game against Brazil, the team found itself in unfamiliar territory—losing by double digits. Brazil opened on a 9–0 run and extended the lead to 18–7. The USA teams settled down and chipped away at the lead, eventually winning 71–47. Tuck was the high scorer for the game with 15 points. She also earned scoring honors for the entire tournament, scoring 17.8 points per game to become the leading scorer for the tournament.^[20]

2013 U19 - Lithuania

Tuck, along with teammates Moriah Jefferson and Breanna Stewart, were three of the twelve players selected to be on the team representing the USA at the U19 World Championship for Women held in Klaipėda and Panevėžys, Lithuania in July 2013.^[21]

University of Connecticut Statistics

Awards and honors

• 2012—Parade All-American^[23]
• 2012—McDonald’s High School All-American^[24]
• 2012—WBCA High School All-American^[1][12]
• 2012—Gatorade Illinois Girls Basketball Player of the Year^[25]
• 2012—MaxPreps All-America first team^[1]
• 2012—USA Today All-USA first team^[26]
• 2012—Illinois Ms. Basketball^[27]
• 2011-12 Herald-News Girls Basketball Player of the Year^[4]
• 2011—USA Today All-USA third team^[1]
• 2010—USA Today All-USA second team^[1]
• 2010—ESPN Rise Sophomore of the Year^[3]
• 2009—Illinois Ms. Basketball^[1]
• 2009—ESPN Rise Freshman of the Year^[3]

References