Randallstown Basketball Star Delayed Enrolling At Tenn. Amid Abuse
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Lady Vols have announced that Jannah Tucker, who signed with Tennessee last year but didn't enroll, has informed coach Holly Warlick that she plans to enter school in January.
The university said in a release Thursday that Tucker, a 6-foot guard from Randallstown, Md., will practice with the Lady Vols after arriving on campus, though she isn't expected to play this season.
Her decision was first reported by Inside Tennessee.
Warlick said this summer that Tucker had opted not to enroll due to personal reasons. Tucker later told Blue Star Media that she was a victim of domestic violence that included both verbal and physical abuse.
Baltimore County police said they arrested Josh Anthony Gerard on a second-degree assault charge Sept. 25 after observing a large bruise and red mark on Tucker's left cheek and eye. Tucker told police that she and the 19-year-old Gerard had been dating for two years.
"Tennessee has always been in my corner no matter what the circumstances may be," Tucker said in a statement released by the university. Tucker added that "they truly represent what family is all about."
In Gerard's arrest report, police say Tucker told them she was "wrestling" with her boyfriend when he hit her in the left eye with his elbow. Tucker later told Blue Star Media that "there were many incidents of physical abuse this past summer" and that she "was badly beaten and had several injuries."
"Our primary concerns are about her as a person and as a student," Warlick said in a statement. "Basketball is secondary. Our staff and players welcome her with open arms and are humbled that she and her family have trusted us to be part of shaping her future."
Tucker was rated as one of the nation's top 10 prospects in her class by multiple recruiting services even though a knee injury caused her to miss her senior season at New Town High School in Owings Mill, Md.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
