It must be hard to be Cliff Tucker right now. A starter for the early part of the Maryland Terrapins 2008-09 season, Tucker has been relegated to dramatically fewer minutes in recent games. He’s expressed his frustrations to the local media, indicating that he has no idea why his role has been diminished to the point of DNP’s.
Fortunately for Tucker, the opportunity for him to come home is closer than he thinks.
Not home to his native Texas. Home to one of the four historically black colleges in the state of Maryland.
Maryland is lucky to have each of its four black colleges all at rising points in the development of their men’s basketball programs. Nearby Bowie State University recently signed up Willard “Duke” Crews, a transplant from the University of Tennessee who has emerged as one of the best post players in the CIAA and has helped the Bulldogs to an impressive conference standing thus far.
The University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, with the ineligibility of conference scoring machine Ed Tyson, should be looking next season for a scorer to flourish under new head coach Frankie Allen, who has the Fighting Hawks playing respectable ball as of late.
Then there’s Coppin State, which we all know does its best work when no one is looking.
And of course, Morgan State, which is flourishing as one of the area’s most attractive mid-major programs in the area. He knows that first hand, considering that he would likely start for a Bears squad that defeated a Maryland Terrapins team that only saw fit to give him four minutes in against Charm City’s finest.
The point is that he has plenty of options here in Maryland that will welcome him with open arms. If he can really play, the pro scouts will have no hard time finding him in the MEAC or CIAA, the two most reconizable black college basketball brands in the country. Maryland was and never will be a good fit for him or players like him, those who have a world of talent that gets relegated to goldfish status in the big pond of power conference basketball.
Come on home, Cliff. We’ll leave the light on for you.
