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Throughout his four seasons as a basketball player for The Academy at Palumbo, 1100 Catharine St., Jameal Tucker endeavored to learn and subsequently teach his teammates the rewards of hard work.
Accustomed to playing the motivator, the senior forward became the motivated Friday, as he accepted kudos for signing his National Letter of Intent to play for Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, the first such hoopster to earn a scholarship in the Hawthorne school’s seven-year history.
Nicknamed “Stretch,” the 6-foot-5 West Philadelphian extended his long arms to receive handshakes, high-fives and hugs from the senior class before sitting to hear from first-year coach Tim Castanza.
“This was quite an interesting year for Jameal, especially because someone was always coming to watch him,” the resident of Fourth and Pemberton streets said of his leading scorer. “Out of everyone I’ve interacted with, he’s shown the most personal growth and has gone from someone who wanted mostly to score to a person who desired to win all the time.”
With father Raphael Tucker and mother Tania Thomas to his left, the teenager offered a litany of character-molding influences and eagerly swapped his No. 14 Griffins jersey for a Bloomsburg Huskies shirt, vowing to devote his diligence to making the Division-II institution a contender.
“Palumbo has helped me to become versatile to the point where I feel I can play every position,” he said. “When I go to the next level, I want to work my butt off just like I did here.”
Tucker rewarded the Columbia County school for its heavy pursuit of his skills April 2, picking it over the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, which had wanted him to attend a junior college before suiting up for the main squad. Looking and hoping to make an immediate difference, he elected to remain in the Keystone State and join the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference member.
“I had such a feeling of relief when it became clear that Bloomsburg would be for me,” he said. “Now that I know where I’m going, I have no worries and am just looking to learn as much as I can on the court and in class.”
Sporting a 3.8 grade point average, Tucker figures to thrive in his academic pursuits, though he will begin his matriculation as an undeclared collegiate.
“I plan to see what strikes me and then ponder what to do,” the young man, whose curriculum at Palumbo includes an advanced placement English literature course, said. “Whatever it becomes, I plan to work hard like always.”
Along with displaying a knack for posting great grades, the co-captain made his final secondary hardwood campaign another example of his commitment to excellence. As a sophomore, he sampled the limelight as his unit went 19-3 and shared the Division D title with Universal Audenried Charter High School, 3301 Tasker St. Expected to experience some lumps last year when they moved up to Division C, the Griffins struggled mightily and mustered a 7-15 mark.
“We came in this year with high standards,” Tucker said of their return to Division D, “because we knew what we could do.”
Responding to Castanza’s call for responsibility and unity, the adolescents registered a 13-10 record, including an 8-4 ledger against divisional adversaries, good for a fourth-place finish and a spot in the Class AA preliminary playoffs.
“To get back to the postseason meant so much to us, especially me,” the soon-to-be alumnus said.
Hosting Carroll High School Feb. 5, Castanza’s charges notched the first playoff victory in program history, with Tucker scoring 10 points in the 50-43 win. Their dream ended two days later with a 74-46 road defeat against Del-Val, where he also deposited 10.
“I’m really proud of what we put together,” Tucker, who averaged 20.1 points per contest in divisional games and 18.1 overall, said. “Because of what coach Castanza taught us, I know I’ll do well next year, and they’ll do the same.”
Thanks to his 417 points, which boosted his career tally to 855, he earned First-Team All-Division plaudits and took part in April 2’s Public League All-Star Game at Benjamin Franklin High School, scoring three points for Team Black, which included Audenried senior guard Quadir Nock, who won MVP honors, in its 78-68 win over Team White, with senior guard Tobias Stokes from Girard Academic Music Program, 2136 W. Ritner St. In accepting the offer from Bloomsburg, which will be coming off an 8-19 season, Tucker became the second Palumbo athlete to earn a postsecondary opportunity, joining 2012 graduate Sharif Smith, a running back for Shippensburg University.
“I feel honored to have this opportunity,” the eventual Husky, who plans to work on his game and put on more muscle this summer, said. “I’m ready to make an impact.”
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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