Perfect Player: Scoring, Alando Tucker

Totally an astounding 46-percent of his team's total points for the season,
Lockport's Alando Tucker has made his case for the state's top scorer.

In constructing the Perfect Player, you look for many attributes to make that player superior to others. You need him to be a good scorer, rebounder, passer, ball-handler, shooter, tough on defense, have good athleticism, his leadership abilities have to be second to none and of course he has to have the capabilities to become better with a wealth of potential.

In the next few weeks High School Elite will be taking a look at some of Illinois' top seniors in those particular categories and what it is that makes those players so elite in their own way. Note: Any one player will not be named as tops in more then one category.

By Frank Rusnak
There are players that can stroke the ball like you wouldn't believe, and there are ones that can get to the basket on their man at about any time during the course of a game. A good scorer is not necessarily either one of those by themselves. Simply said, a prolific scorer is one that can put the ball in the hole -- by whatever means necessary.

Mike Thompson from Providence Catholic and John Bowler from Niles Notre Dame used their overwhelming size to dismantle interior defenses and generate easy scoring opportunities for their teams.

Guys like Lyons Township's Jim Maley, Providence St. Mel's Stan Gaines and Sycamore's Justin Wilson used about every trick in the book, whether it be prolific outside shooting, using to their size and athleticism to produce buckets near the hoop, or their hot-shooting to decoy the defenders close to them only to blow by them for an easier shot.

You can't forget about Metamora's Dan Adams. While Adams was one of the state's most productive scorers prior to this year, he was unable to compete his senior year after suffering a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee at the onset of the season. The 6'5", strongly built Adams possessed one of the state's sweetest strokes and tore up the nets to the tune of 28 points as a junior.

But for the head man when it comes to scoring, Lockport's Alando Tucker severs himself from the pack.

Yes, there are people who averaged more points than Alando Tucker's 22 per game average, but none scored in quite the fashion that he did. The go-to-player for Lockport, Tucker was the Porter's first second and third option on offense, and rarely failed when called upon by coach Larry Thompson.

While one would think that a team with the a high-flying, athletically gifted, scoring juggernaut such as Tucker would imply an offense not geared for the faint of heart, with a run-and-gun style. However, Lockport played a half-court style of play that was very conducive to a tired scoreboard operator. With Lockport averaging less than 50 points a game, Tucker was responsible for a extraordinary 46-percent of his team's scoring. Bound for the University of Wisconsin next year, Tucker should be at home with the Badgers trying to implore more of a high-tempo system. However, if they revert back to their old, slow-down method, you can bet Tucker will be prepared either way.

**The state's top scorers**
6'0" Dee Brown - Proviso East	6'2" Shatonoe Powers - Riverside-Brookfield	6'3" Antonio Stamps - Chicago Vocational	6'5" Maurice Smith - Harlem
6'0" Jawan Stalling - Hales Franciscan	6'2" Omni Smith - Curie	6'3" Rick Harrigan - Brother Rice	6'6" Brian Schlemm - Carmel
6'0" Nathan Koster - Lewistown	6'2" Tony Smith - Springfield Lanphier	6'3" Ryan Walker - Galesburg	6'6" Jim Maley - Lyons Township
6'0" Andre Goodwin - Marshall	6'2" Mike Smith - Shepard	6'4" Dan Adams - Metamora	6'7" Andre Iguodala - Springfield Lanphier
6'1" Darice Venson - East Aurora	6'3" Sean Dockery - Julian	6'4" Dana Ford - Tamms	6'7" Stan Gaines - Providence St. Mel
6'1" Lance Marcum - Centrailia	6'3" Adam Dauksas - Homewood-Flossmoor	6'4" Justin Wilson - Sycamore	6'8" John Bowler - Niles Notre Dame
6'2" T.J. Parker - Lisle	6'3" Brandon Shoemaker - Joliet Township	6'5" Troy Lindbeck - Collinsville	6'10" Mike Thompson - Providence Catholic