Lucas at Large: Tucker growing, learning as coach
January 15, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Mike Lucas, Varsity Magazine
Former Badger filling in as assistant during Howard Moore’s recovery
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Three hours prior to last Wednesday's Illinois-Wisconsin game, the Big Ten Network aired a special 30-minute episode of its signature documentary series, "The Journey" and it was devoted entirely to the Howard Moore family tragedy.
To say the least, it was heart-wrenching.
UW assistant coach Alando Tucker, who has taken over on the staff for Moore during his medical leave, couldn't bring himself to watch it before the tipoff that night at the Kohl Center. It was far too emotional, far too close to home for Tucker who was featured prominently throughout the taping.
On Sunday night, Tucker and his wife Krystal finally watched it together.
"It was hard to watch … it was very emotional, very tough … we had to take breaks," he said. "When you're watching a story like that, you couldn't imagine it for anyone, for any family, for anybody to go through it. That's never you in that situation. It's a story, it's a movie in a sense, it isn't real."
He paused before continuing.
"This is real, though."
During the Journey episode, Tucker shared his pain and his thoughts on how and why he's fulfilling his commitment to the Moore and Badgers families. "I didn't take the normal path of becoming a coach," he said. "I didn't have this set in my heart of wanting to become a coach.
"It kind of just sprung itself on me … You had 15 individuals who had to prep for the season. Time wasn't going to stop for everyone. Now how do we make an easy transition for them? How do we make it an easy transition for the coaching staff?
"Well, I have the most history here (Tucker is the school's career scoring leader). At that point the easiest thing for everyone would be for me to take this job. Trennis — Howard's mom — she said, 'My son wouldn't want it any other way than for you to take that role.'"
After Monday's practice, Tucker talked about how he has grown into his coaching role.
"The hardest part was getting over the mental aspect of things — just being here every day and understanding what we went through (as a program)," he said. "Naturally, you have the administrative things that you have to pick up, you have to understand putting film together, those kinds of things.
"The coaching staff has done a great job in helping me and bringing me along in terms of how to put scouting reports together. I wasn't nervous for my first scout (for the UW-La Crosse exhibition). It was more like, 'What am I doing?' I had no clue."
He got up to speed quickly in that area thanks to assistants Joe Krabbenhoft and Dean Oliver. "Every coach has their own style," he said. "I'd spend time with Joe and watch him put the scouting report together and then I would spend time with Dean and watch him put the scouting report together.
"Honestly that was the toughest challenge for me. How do I put this together and how can I translate what the players can understand? Like playing basketball, I had to dive in and learn as much and as fast as possible. I had the Penn State scout and it was much easier."
Tucker is definitely in his element when he's on the court during practices.
"My connection to the guys is something that comes natural," said Tucker, who has confidence in "my leadership abilities in that sense of being able to motivate and understand X's and O's. I can talk from first-person experience from being out there and what your mindset should be.
"I love the coaching aspect. I love the idea that I can influence these guys and I can have an impact and motivate them every single day. It's a gravitational pull between me and all the guys. I just try to give them a realistic look and the perspective and knowledge that comes from my experiences."
Tucker's learning curve extends to the bench on game days.
"When do I speak? How do I speak? When should I assert myself during a timeout?" he said. "I'm learning all those things and I'm looking at the coaches and seeing how they're doing it. You don't want to overstep and overtalk. It's new and every game is going to be learning experience for me.
"Specifically, as an assistant, it's, 'When can you assist?' It's as simple as that. When can you step in? When can I pull Coach Gard to the side and say, 'Hey, this is what we're seeing?' To me, it's how can I add perspective? Or, when is it my time to just shut up?"
The 35-year-old Tucker has learned the old-fashioned way, the hard way, under fire.
"I have a dominant personality," he said. "It came to a point in a game where I'm yelling at the refs and Coach Gard told me at halftime that I can't do that. It's understanding that's not my position, it's for Coach Gard to get on the refs. But that's the way I was as a player. I'm vocal."
Teaching others is a passion, especially since he was such a student of the game.
"I've had great mentors, guys I played with, like Steve Nash, Grant Hill, Shaq, Hall of Famers," said Tucker, a first-round draft pick of the Phoenix Suns in 2007. "I've picked the mind of Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade while working in the gym and being in the same spaces with them.
"I'm a sponge. I would always ask questions because I wanted to get better."
One of the coaches that influenced Tucker was his former UW mentor Bo Ryan.
"I think in Alando's mind the only way to honor Howard is do the best job that he can," Ryan said during the "Journey" episode. "Let me see if I can get this guy to be better in the post. Let me see if I can get this guy to cut harder off the backscreen.
"That is the way Alando has to have his mindset and the rest will take care of itself."
And so, it has moved along. Slowly but surely. Step by step.
"It comes down to understanding how to play my role," Tucker said, "and to be the best in it as an assistant and figure out how to help Coach Gard with whatever he needs. It's not just one aspect of the game. I want to assist in any kind of way. But it takes patience. I'm learning how to be patient."
On Tuesday night, the Badgers executed in the closing moments better than Maryland and won a thriller, 56-54, at the Kohl Center. Seated on the bench and taking part in the timeout huddles and post-game celebration was 13-year-old Jerell Moore who was wearing his dad's No. 34 jersey.
"I feel like I'm a firm believer that things happen for a reason," Tucker was saying Monday with moistened eyes. "This tragedy happened but I was here in this space for a reason. I feel like I didn't personally seek out coaching. I feel like coaching found me. And I'm loving what I do."
