Published May 7, 2019
Grad transfer Rayjon Tucker talks finalists, upcoming decision
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Jeffrey Lee  •  AuburnSports
Senior Editor
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@JLeeAURivals

Rayjon Tucker is nearing a decision.

The graduate transfer from Arkansas-Little Rock has taken five official visits and is now working to narrow his list to one.

“I’ll be making my decision in the next week or so,” Tucker said. “All five schools (West Virginia, Auburn, Memphis, Iowa State, Kansas) are finalists. It’s all about choosing the one that me and my mom feel is the best fit for me.”

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Tucker talked about each of his finalists and why they made the cut:

West Virginia: “Just the style of play, how hard they play. Bob Huggins is a hard-nosed coach and fits my personality well. I love the staff there, the guys. They all embraced me on my visit.”

Auburn: “Auburn is more like a home feel with Coach (Wes) Flanigan being there. I also like their style of play with how they run and shoot the ball. They play up and down. Coach BP (Bruce Pearl) is also great. Auburn has Bryce (Brown) and Malik (Dunbar) leaving and they think I’m a little bit of both of them. They think I could help fill those minutes that they’re losing next year.”

Memphis: “With them having three former NBA players on the staff, it would be a great learning opportunity. I played them last year and I like their style of play. They like to get up and down, too.”

Iowa State: “They’ve been good with fifth-year transfers. They have a track record of bringing in fifth-year guys and letting them rock out. They also play an up-and-down pace, and Coach (Steve) Prohm is a great coach.”

Kansas: “They have a history of putting out big-time guards and big-time post men. They have a lot of guys in the NBA. Bill Self is a Hall of Famer. He’s a great coach.”

Tucker’s criteria for making his choice is simple.

“I’m looking at the coaching staff and the players,” Tucker said. “Who I vibe with the most will definitely be a big part of my decision because I’ll only be there for 9-12 months and that’s who I will be with the majority of the time.”

Tucker hasn’t set a date for his decision and doesn’t plan to.

“I’ll just announce whenever I know,” Tucker said. “Whenever me and my mom have a chance to sit down and really think and talk about it.”

Tucker, who has one year of eligibility remaining, will finish classes at Arkansas-Little Rock this week and report to his next destination this summer. He’s also still considering the NBA.