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Sports

Tucker Attains Coveted Goal

Edmonds Community College announced the hiring of new women's basketball Tarrance Tucker III on June 22. Last week, Patch spoke with Tucker, who shared his views on his new role, learning under Lorenzo Romar, and how he advanced from coaching at the YMCA

Tarrance Tucker III has seemingly always known that he wanted to be a head basketball coach. Starting at age 18, coaching players just a few years his junior, Tucker has progressed from YMCA coach to assistant collegiate coach to high school head coach. His newest role is the one he has always coveted: Head coach at the college level.

Two weeks ago, Edmonds Community College announced that Tucker would be the new head coach of the women's basketball program. Tucker, a 29-year-old Seattle University grad, brings more than a decade of experience to the new role, including some time learning from the Lord of Montlake, Lorenzo Romar.

A Call to Coaching

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Tucker's first foray in to coaching came shortly after he graduated from Lincoln High School in Tacoma. Tucker began coaching at the local YMCA while attending Pierce College. A chance meeting set up by his supervisor at the time led to his first opportunity at the collegiate level. New head coach Tim Quiroz was looking for a young coach who could relate to players. Tucker turned out to be the perfect fit.

“He was trying to put together a new staff and wanted to bring on a younger coach that could relate to the players and be a liaison between the players and coaches," Tucker said of Quiroz. "[My boss] brought me up to him and said ‘Hey, I’ve got this young guy here, he’s trying to get his feet wet' … It all just worked together.”

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After two years at Pierce, Tucker took an extended break from coaching to finish his bachelor's degree at Seattle University. After graduating, Tucker had the opportunity to return to Pierce under the new Anne Bowen regime and jumped at the chance. Three years later, Bowen resigned, and Tucker began to eye the head coaching position. When he was passed over, he decided it was time to move on.

“I’m not going to lie, I was kind of hurt that I didn’t get it," Tucker said. 'Plus, I felt like it was time to move on.”

Tucker coached at Grays Harbor College, then took over the head coaching position at the Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bellevue. It turned out to be a big learning experience, for a number of reasons.

“I took over a group of kids where they didn’t really have a clue about basketball," Tucker said. "I had kids that played varsity the year before and actually started games and they didn’t know what a point guard was or what a post move was. So it was literally basketball 101. It was a very humbling experience.”

After a year at Forest Ridge, Tucker saw an opening on the ECC website and decided to apply. His familiarity with the school, stemming from non-league games while he was at Pierce and Grays Harbor, put him in a comfortable position during his interview. Shortly after that interview, Tucker got the call for which he had been waiting.

“I didn’t feel nervous one bit. I felt very comfortable. I felt it was the right pick," Tucker said. "When I got the call back that I got the job, it was a great day. It was a very emotional day, because it was a long time coming.”

Learning from the Master

It was during his two-year layoff from coaching a team that Tucker learned some important lessons from one of the best in the college business. While interning at radio station KJR-AM/950, Tucker connected with a member of the athletic department at the University of Washington. That meeting led to an opportunity that most young coaches can only dream about: Volunteer coaching under Huskies mens coach Lorenzo Romar.

“Just watching Romar coach the team through a practice and actually seeing the drills he had and seeing him actually motivate the team … it was awesome," Tucker said. "It was a great experience. I’ll never forget it, and I am forever in their debt.”

Tucker spent three months with the team in 2006, but one instance of Romar's coaching ability stands out to this day. During a lackluster practice with a tired team, Romar became frustrated and halted practice for a water break. As his team rested, Romar picked up a basketball, walked to mid-court and began throwing the ball hard off the backboard. His anger was palpable, but his message to his talented team was clear.

“It wasn’t the fact that he was yelling, it was the way he was doing it," Tucker said. "He was telling them that ‘You guys have so much potential and I care about you and I believe in you.' He was going off, but it was what he was saying to them.”

New Coach, New Team, New Vision

Taking over a program that was built by a different architect can be a difficult task for a coach. Tucker has seemingly come up with a simple solution: start fresh.

The team that takes the court for Tucker next year will almost certainly have a completely different look than last years’ team. Tucker is planning on starting the team from scratch, inviting previous players to try out, but wanting to bring in a new group that buys into his vision.

“I’m actually starting the team from scratch," Tucker said. "A lot of the players aren’t coming back next year. I’m starting a brand-new team with a brand-new vision.”

That vision will be anchored by a high-tempo offense and attacking defense. Less Big Ten, more Showtime Lakers.

“Offensively, we’re going to run," Tucker said. "We’re going to get it and go, push the ball. The reason why I want to run is to keep the defense on their heels. I don’t want to just walk the ball up and run a half-court offense like a lot of coaches like to do. I don’t like to do that because it gives the other team a chance to recover, get some rest.”

Tucker also plans to give his team the kind of freedom not normally granted by college coaches. He envisions a freewheeling group that plays without worry of being pulled or yelled at by the coach.

“I might give you a play, all that is just a foundation," Tucker said. "There’s so many things you can get going off that play. If the play says just to do a ball fake, but you see the opportunity to do a pick-and-roll or drive to the basket, go ahead and do it. It’s OK, you’ve got the green light.”

Edmonds hopes it has found the long-term answer for its women's basketball program. Tucker has finally landed the position he wanted all along. The pairing could be a perfect match for both. 

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