After being sidelined with a broken foot for eight weeks and sitting out the Badgers’ first five games, UW sophomore forward Alando Tucker received his first game action of the 2003-04 season Wednesday night against UW-Green Bay.
Although he tallied only five points in 12 minutes of playing time, just getting Tucker back on the floor was a huge stride in the Badgers’ race toward a third consecutive Big Ten championship.
“Alando did some good things,” UW head coach Bo Ryan said. “The best thing was he got on the floor; he got in front of the crowd; he got to play against somebody else. And I think that’s definitely going to help him Saturday, and the next game, and the next game, and the next game. So, just to get him out there was good.”
Tucker, who finished third on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg) last year as a freshman, returned to practice Monday for the first time since sustaining the injury to his right foot Oct. 9.
Upon checking into Wednesday night’s game, Tucker was greeted with a standing ovation from the 17,142 fans in attendance — which, according to him, is indicative of just how loyal and supportive the Badger fans have been to both him and the team.
“It shows the great support that we have. We have a great system here,” Tucker said. “They (the fans) want to support each and every player. I’m sure if Devin (Harris), Freddie (Owens), or any one of us got hurt, they would have gotten the same reaction. It just shows the fan support that we need to have every night.”
While Tucker was a little surprised by the fans’ reaction when he approached the scorers’ table, at the time he was more concerned with concentrating on what he needed to do on the floor.
“It was a shock. They were waiting to see what I can do,” Tucker said. “But I got out there and just tried to stay focused on what I had to do. [The fans’ reaction] felt good, but I had to stay focused.”
And focused he was. Less than a minute after entering the game, Tucker drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing — extending the Badgers’ lead to 17-10.
“It felt good,” said Tucker, when asked about making his first shot of the game. “Sitting out for eight weeks and coming out hitting my first shot, it just feels good to see I still have a little left in me.”
As far as Tucker’s recovery and comfort level on the floor goes, he feels it will just be a matter of time.
“It’s going to be slowly but surely,” said Tucker of his recovery. “I’m going to build on each practice, each game. I had two practices coming into this game. So, the more I practice, the better I’ll be and the more comfortable I’ll feel on the court.”
According to Tucker, part of that comfort level will just be retaining the rhythm he once had with his teammates.
“It’s just a matter of me getting a rhythm with my team again, get out some of the jitters and try and come out and just perform,” Tucker said. “Just be my regular self, that’s what I wanted to do. Basically right now I just want to get a rhythm back and get a feel for how to play with the four other guys on the court.”
One of the four guys Tucker is referring to is UW senior guard Freddie Owens. Owens, like Coach Ryan, was pleased to see the team’s athletic forward back on the floor.
“It feels great to have [Tucker] back out there from a teammate’s standpoint,” Owens said. “He’s been through a lot these last couple months with the broken foot, and that can take an emotional toll on you a little bit. But I’m glad to have him back because he brings a lot of energy to the floor.”
