WS Chronicle

Amaya Tucker (5’6”)

– Shooting guard (Redshirt sophomore)

– Reagan graduate (2018)

– Major: Exercise Science

Amaya Tucker has seen her share of ups and downs since coming to Winston-Salem State University three years ago. After being away from the game for nearly two years due to injury and the pandemic, Tucker is ready to show everyone that she is back and better than ever.

As a freshman, Tucker took the CIAA by storm, averaging 16 ppg., which led the team, and was named to the All-Conference team, along with being named the CIAA Rookie of the year. She scored a season high 34 points against Chowan that year as well.

“I knew for a fact going into college, it was going to be different than high school as far as practices and on top of that, you have weights and conditioning, so I knew it was going to be a big transition for me,” Tucker said about the difference between high school and college basketball. “But I think I am one of those individuals that kind of adapt to things kind of easily.  

“I knew going in that I need to be focused and ready to work, because there were a lot of people that were expecting a lot out of me. l just had to make sure I was ready for that next phase. I honestly think that year went well … I do think that I lived up to my expectations, because that was one of the things that I wanted was to become rookie of the year.”

Overall Tucker was pleased with how her freshman year turned out individually; however, she felt as though she got off to a slow start. As a team, she was disappointed in the fact they were bounced in the first round of the CIAA tournament that year.

Excelling as a freshman wasn’t unexpected for Tucker. She has been playing against older and bigger girls for most of her life. “Honestly, I think I’ve always known that I could play with girls that were way older than me, because when I was younger, I would always play up in AAU,” she said. “I would always play against girls who are way older than me and me always being the youngest on the team is nothing different.  

“I’ve always known that I could play with anyone on the court, as long as I just do what I need to do. I just tried to show people that you may be the youngest, you may be the shortest, but you’re here for a reason.”

Tucker comes from an athletic household. She says that both sides of her family have an athletic background, so playing sports was second nature to her. “Probably when I first picked up the ball, I knew this was something I was supposed to be doing and I have had a love for it ever since.”

Growing up, Tucker used to play point guard and she liked to pattern her game after Chris Paul, because she liked the way he would facilitate and get all of his teammates involved in the game. She transitioned to a shooting guard midway through her prep career and became more of a scorer. Tucker is now a versatile scorer who can put the ball in the hoop from all over the court.

“I would say that I am a smooth player that can turn it on and turn it off at any time,” she said about how she would describe her game. “If they need me to score, then I can. If I need to facilitate and find the open man, I can do that. If I need to break you down or something, I can as well. I think I am a great overall player, not too wild with the ball and a great IQ with the ball.”

Making the transition to a scorer wasn’t an easy task for Tucker because she preferred to get her teammates involved and only shoot when needed. Upon arriving at WSSU, Head Coach L’Tona Lamonte told Tucker that she would need her to score more for the team to be as successful as possible. Tucker now feels her scoring ability is her best attribute on the floor.

Tucker had a stellar high school career at Reagan High School. She was a four-time All-Conference selection, a three-time All-Northwest selection, two-time conference champion, and named MVP of the Mary Garber Tournament. She will go down as one of the best players to play for the Raiders.

The recruiting process can be a tricky one and for Tucker, she had a tough decision to make. She had offers to play Division I and Division II basketball. Her high school coach at the time told her that she could be a good player at a Division I school, or she could be a great player at a Division II school.

Tucker spoke with her parents and thought about her choices. She decided that she would attend an HBCU and narrowed her choices down to North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, and WSSU.

“I think that God really had a plan for me, because when it didn’t work out with Central and A&T, I called Coach Lamonte and told her that I wanted to go on a visit,” Tucker continued. “She showed me around the campus and offered me a full ride right there on the spot.  

“This is something God had planned for me, especially me being from Winston. I am kind of considered a hometown hero, so I knew for a fact that Winston-Salem State was the right choice for me at that time.”

Tucker’s sophomore season was derailed by a foot injury that limited her to only seven games. She chose to redshirt to make sure she healed properly and wanted to gear up for the next season. Due to the pandemic, there was not a season last year, so Tucker is eager to get back on the floor.

“I am so excited to get back out there,” she stated. “There are so many people coming up and asking me, am I ready for the season and asking about the team, so I know we have a lot of support from people on and off campus.”

Tucker is an exercise science major at WSSU and is interested in the doctoral program in physical therapy. She also has two years of eligibility left, so her first goal is to show enough on the court to get signed to play basketball overseas.  

Off of the basketball court, Tucker likes to hang out with friends and goes home almost every week to visit with her family. “I like to listen to music a lot and do different things like bowling or skating, anything that allows me to go out and live life,” she stated.

Tucker says her goal this season is for the Lady Rams to bring home the CIAA Tournament Championship. She feels they have all of the right pieces in place to make that happen. Individually, she wants to win the CIAA Player of the Year Award as well.