Former University of Arkansas at Little Rock standout Rayjon Tucker has landed on an NBA roster.
After not hearing his name called during Thursday night's draft in Brooklyn, Tucker reached a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.
Tucker, a 6-5, 210-pound guard, signed a partially guaranteed contract, which means he'll be in Milwaukee's training camp but still has to work to make the roster. Tucker also will play for the Bucks in the Las Vegas summer league which runs July 5-15.
UALR Coach Darrell Walker told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that four teams, including Milwaukee, had called about Tucker. Walker said he knows multiple people in Milwaukee's front office and that he wasn't surprised the Bucks signed the former Trojan.
"The Bucks kind of do some of the same things we do offensively," Walker said. "He understands that system and how to play in that system.
"I talked to him [Friday] about making sure he's prepared. This is not college anymore. This is a job, this is a profession, and he has to be ready for the start."
Tucker played for UALR for one season. Prior to his arrival in Little Rock, the Charlotte, N.C., native was at Florida Gulf Coast from 2015-17. After joining the Trojans, he was forced to sit out the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
As a redshirt junior in 2018-19, Tucker became UALR's leading scorer. He was a second team All-Sun Belt selection after averaging 20.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from three-point range. His 610 total points rank fourth in school history for a single season.
"He averaged 20 points and seven rebounds without me ever really running a play for him," Walker said. "Obviously he could score the basketball. There's some things he still needs to work on, but physically he was an NBA athlete already before I got to taking the job."
Tucker had planned to become a graduate transfer at Memphis this offseason, but an academic issue prevented that, leaving him in the NBA Draft.
Former UALR forward Shane Edwards was the last Trojans player to join an NBA team when he signed a 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers late in the 2013-14 season. He was then released by the Cavaliers before joining their summer league team and was waived in October 2014.
Sports on 06/22/2019