Tuck was never the same after her injury in high school. She was a total beast in high school but due to injuries became highly over rated and over drafted. Conneticut made a big error drafting her. They had two first rounders and could have drafted their top pick and still kept Chelsea Gray instead of trading her for Jonquel Jones They could have used the pick they used on Tuck for Jones. Who never fully recovered.
To begin with, in the beginning of this thread I pointed out that a major part of UConns appeal came from the success that it players had in the WNBA. My mention of Tuck was basically in that context. Notice my statement of her being over rated was directly followed with " Over drafted". Lets not forget that those statements were even prefaced by " due to her injuries ".
She was the third pick in the draft after her teammates Jefferson and Stewart. Her best season was her first and her production tailed off every year, more than likely also to her injury issues. She was over rated and over drafted due to her injury history. The sun used their second pick on a guard and then traded Chelsea Gray for the 6th pick to get Jonquel Jones, a really smart move, except they could have kept Gray had they used the pick for Tuck for Jonquel.
I used to follow girls high school basketaball extensively. This is why I say Tuck was never the same after her injury in highschool. She was absolutely dominating in the post. Although she was still very good, she never recovered her previous form.
As to her career at UConn, it was certaintly helped by having Jefferson and Stewart on her team. I seriously doubt she could have been the focal point of a very good college team. That team was one of the best in UConns history and she basically played a supporting role. Stewart and Jefferson were drafted 1&2 ahead of her. Her career numbers for UConn were 11.3 pts and 4.7 Rbs a game. Those don't jump out at you exactly. He numbers in the WNBA speak to her actual abilities. She was a player who basically hung on to a roster spot for the time she was there. The fact that she was a Husky helped in that regard playing for the Sun. Thats probably why she was also drafted so high.