From Steel Bars to an NBA Court - Marques Tucker

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Steel Bars to an NBA Court:
The Marques Tucker Story
(in-progress)

There are stories of struggles and redemption, and you'll find both in this story.

Back in 2004, Seattle native Marques Tucker, then a 16-year-old phenom for Garfield High School, was the talk of the local hoops scene. The 6'1" point guard had many folks believing that he could possibly be the best high school player to come out of the area since Jamal Crawford.

Then, tragedy showed up.

It was a clear summer night in Seattle, when an officer with the Seattle Police Department knocked on Marques Tucker's door. Apparently, an armed robbery had been committed in the neighborhood, and the police were following leads. Tucker met the description of the suspect. The teen was arrested and booked on charges of armed robbery in the first degree.

The police had no weapon. They also had an alibi from Tucker's mother, who told police that her son was with her during the robbery. Even though Tucker was not picked out of a lineup, he was charged and later convicted of the crime.

The sentencing is looked upon as one of the darkest days in Washington history now. Tucker was sentenced to seven years in prison and would be released when he was 23. Crushed, Marques worked hard on his appeal and got a good lawyer to help him overturn his conviction as the dreams of his basketball career began to evaporate before his eyes.

Year after year, Tucker lost his appeals. He had many people that would attest to his character and the type of person he was, but to no avail. The courts did not see enough evidence to overturn the conviction.

On March 22, 2009, a 33-year-old Seattle man was arrested for armed robbery. The man had been convicted of multiple armed robberies over the years and admitted to many more. When Tucker's lawyer, Maurice Smith, heard of this man, he went to visit him at a state prison. By the end of their meeting, the man confessed to committing the robbery that Marques Tucker had been accused and convicted of. Smith called it "dumb luck" that this surfaced.

When this was added to Tucker's appeal, the courts finally released the 20-year-old Tucker after he had to spend four and a half years in prison. But, Tucker's basketball dreams never faded. Day in and day out, Tucker was on the basketball court, willing himself to become a better player and person.

"People look at my story but it is completely unwritten at this point," Tucker says. "I am still a young man. It could have been a lot worse. Of course I am angry that I was wrongly convicted and it seemed like the police just wanted someone to pin the crime on, but in some ways I can thank my experience. It sounds crazy, but I think of the movie, The Shawshank Redemption. Andy had been wrongly convicted, had years from his life stripped from him, yet he came out victorious. That's how I see the rest of my life playing out."

Tucker is a strong Christian man and believes that God works everything out, that there is a purpose for everything.

"I do believe that, with all of my heart," Tucker says.

While in prison, an officer called a close friend who is now a scout for the Milwaukee Bucks. Jim Fields takes the story from here.

"He was an animal on the court," Fields says. "I play some ball. I knew who this kid was when he got here. He was the best damn player I had ever seen, and he was still young. No one could do anything with him on the court inside, and other inmates would tell me that his story had to get out, that he could have a life in the NBA. I agreed, so I made a call."

Upon release, Tucker met with the scout, but Milwaukee was not interested. The scout, who remains unnamed here, told Tucker to not give up.

"His game, his attitude, just the way he carried himself after what he had been through was impressive," said the scout.

A week later, Tucker got a call from an Orlando Magic scout.

"He told me, 'we've heard a lot about you," says Tucker. "They flew me out and had me scrimmage with the team. I got to meet Dwight, Rashard, Jameer, and a few other guys. I did well against them and they told me they'd see me soon."

Tucker flew home to Seattle and waited.

"I worked on my game for another three months, just playing every day. Some wonder why I didn't go to college... Well, I obtained my AA degree while in prison and honestly, if the NBA is a possibility right now, I'm going for it. It's my dream, so why wait?"

On June 2, Tucker got the call he had been dreaming about. Orlando wanted him in their summer circuit to play in summer league games.

"I have no words to express the joy I felt," said Tucker. "All I know is, I'm Orlando-bound, and I'm ready. I won't let this opportunity pass me by."

Tucker has grown both mentally and physically since that fateful day when he was arrested.

"I'm a man now, I'm 6'4" and weigh 207. My body has never been better. I am 21-years-old, and you know what? Whether it's through the D-League, or making the team right out of camp, I will play in the NBA."

The bottom line is this - Marques Tucker knows that what happened to him was unfair, yet the maturity he displays when talking about it is truly inspiring. He can point to the starving children around the world, the widow who lost her husband in war, or the child born with abnormalties.

"So yeah, I'm not going to complain. God gave me a beautiful gift here. There will be a lot left out of this article, I have enough to write a book, but like I said before, my story is still unwritten."

Stay tuned to see how Tucker performs in Las Vegas this summer.

[RipCity7]

The Tucker Blog:

The numbers won't jump out at you, but if you know his story, his line is pretty impressive.

In Marques Tucker's first summer league game with the Orlando Magic, the rookie scored 15 points, dished out 6 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds in an 88-78 win over the Los Angeles Lakers this past Friday.

"I felt pretty good out there. That's about all I can say. The NBA game is quick and everyone out here is clawing tooth and nail for a roster spot. I'm no different."

Let's take a quick look at Tucker's profile.

Marques Tucker, #10
Orlando Magic
Point Guard
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 207
Shoots: Right
Style: Scoring

We'll keep this blog updated with more news from Tucker's career.

[RipCity7]

****question... Does anyone know how to upload pictures from the games? I can't figure it out...****

Let me know if you guys are interested in this story line, and I'll keep it going strong!

[RipCity7]

Tucker continues to impress

The Orlando Magic beat the Los Angeles Clippers 80-59 last night.

But the real story has been Marques Tucker and his stellar play through his first two summer league games in Los Vegas.

Tucker scored 19 points (5-9 FG) and dished out a game high 11 assists. For his first two games, Tucker is averaging 17.5 PPG, 8.5 APG, and 4.5 RPG.

"It's been fun," said Tucker, following the win. "But I need to keep improving. I am loving my teammates. All we can do is keep playing hard, and not getting lost in that 'showcase' mode that some guys tend to have here, and I include myself in that."

Sources say that Tucker might be the most talented guard on the summer league roster.

"That's just crazy talk," Tucker said. "I mean, I appreciate the compliment, and I'm not trying to be all humble, but it's been a team effort so far. We got J.J. Redick, and dude has probably the nicest jumper I've ever seen. When he hangs out on the wing, I guess assists are easy to come by."

Orlando will play it's next game against the Kings and rookie sensation Tyreke Evans.

"That will be a good measuring stick to see where I'm at," Tucker added.

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Kings outlast Magic
Tucker shows frustration

The much antipicated matchup between Tyreke Evans and Marques Tucker did not go as planned for the Magic.

Sacramento beat Orlando 80-75 behind the strong frontline play of the Kings. Rookie Jon Brockman scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Tyreke Evans struggled and only finished the game with 5 points on 2-11 shooting.

For Orlando, rookie point guard Marques Tucker led the way with 12 points and 5 assists. Tucker could have had a lot more assists if the Magic could have scored on easy lay ups.

"It's damn frustrating. Look, I don't mean to be a downer here, but to me, and I know a select few of my teammates agree with this... This is not the NBA all-star game here. This shouldn't be about individualism, but it is. A lot of guys are jacking up shots when we're trying to win games. I am challenging my teammates to play as a team and the rest will take care of itself. Guys are fighting for careers here," Tucker said.

Some wonder if that's the best stance to take especially when Tucker is trying to win over not only the organization but his teammates as well.

"I realize all that," Tucker said. "But let's be real. Most everyone agrees with me. When we have a guy shooting 3-17, maybe it's time to work the ball around."

The Magic summer league coach agrees.

"He's absolutely right, and hopefully the guys realize he's right. That shows me a good leadership quality in him."

Tucker will look to right the ship against the Wizards this Wednesday.

[RipCity7]

hmm... guess no followers.

Story line must not be any good.

[RipCity7]

Lawsuit in the making?

For those that know Marques Tucker's story, no one could blame the man for unleashing multiple lawsuits on the system of Washington State.

Yet, Tucker claims that he wants no part of a lawsuit.

"Mistakes happen. I can be mad, I can be angry, I can be all those things," Tucker said. "But let's be real. Far worse things happen to other people. I got my shot with an NBA franchise. This is my payback. This is what makes it all worthwhile and if I am going to make this team, it won't be because of my story, but because of my basketball skills and what I can offer this franchise."

Tucker says that things happen for a reason, and when he says that, you want to believe him. "Imagine if I went to college," Tucker begins. "What if I would have went to say, a Pac-10 school, blew out my knee, and never sniffed the NBA? What then? That could have happened. Look, people like revenge, but I'm not out for that. I'm trying to make an NBA squad."

"I am the one who paid the price for a flawed system. Inperfect humans run the system so mistakes happen. Honestly, I'm just tired of talking about [my incarceration]. It's over. I am moving on with my life."

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Summer circuit over, which team will it be?
Tucker impresses in summer circuit

The Orlando Magic have concluded their summer league basketball schedule by beating the Denver Nuggets 83-65 last night.

The Magic ended the summer circuit with a 4-2 record. 21-year-old invitee Marques Tucker led the team in scoring and assists. Tucker averaged 18.8 PPG and 8.2 APG while shooting 41.4 percent from the floor.

Today, Tucker literally has offers from every NBA team to attend training camp.

"What an honor that is," Tucker said. "Obviously, I've got to weigh my options... I grew up as a huge Sonics' fan, but with them moving to Oklahoma, I have some choices. I'm still bitter over that, so I think OKC is out."

Many believe Tucker should stay loyal to the team that gave him a chance after he was wrongly incarcerated for the past five years.

"That seems like the clear cut decision to some, but I need time. I mean, my goal is to make it to the league... Orlando is a good team with depth, so I would love to go in there and compete for a roster spot."

Tucker's decision should come within the next day or two.