Jannah Tucker, a top 2013 recruit who signed with the Tennessee Lady Vols, basketball future is uncertain after being assaulted according to a GoVolsXtra.com report on Oct. 3. A source in the Tennessee athletic department familiar with the situation said that Tucker had asked for a release from her letter of intent this summer. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because no action has been taken regarding the request.
The 6-0 guard was expected to enroll in classes at Tennessee in July but cited personal reasons for not showing up.
New developments have now arisen to shed light on why Tucker really didn’t enroll in school.
According to police reports and court documents, Tucker was allegedly assaulted by Joshua Anthony Gerrard of Owings Mills, Md.. this summer. Gerrard, 19, was arrested on July 25, and charged with second-degree assault.
Tucker, 18, had been living at the same location as Gerrard for three months and that they had been dating for two years, according to the documents.
Gerrard is currently free on $50,000 bond and he may not have contact with Tucker. A trial date has been set for Feb. 10, 2014.
The documents state that Tucker’s mother reported “a domestic abuse issue” to Pikesville, Md., police, saying that her daughter last Tuesday had sent several text messages “informing her mother that she had been hit by her boyfriend and for her not to call police.”
Tucker, who is back home in Randallstown, Md. , was beaten up pretty badly according an Instagram message re-posted Louisville guard Bria Smith (bri_smith_21) . According to this post -- submitted by a family member of Tucker’s -- on Oct. 2, Gerrard beat Tucker to prevent her from playing again with a dog chain in the legs and body so she couldn’t leave and her eyes were swollen shut.
Smith also left a message for Tucker on her account, “Praying for my former AAU teammate Jannah Tucker! She is such a sweet beautiful young lady and hearing what she went through truly disgusts me! Everyone please just send up a prayer for her and her family!#PRAY4JANNAH !!!!!!”
Tucker was ranked No. 8 in the class of 2013 by ESPN HoopGurlz. The 6-0 guard averaged nearly 30 points per game as a junior at New Town High. She missed her senior season after suffering a knee injury in August of 2012 while playing for USA Basketball’s U-18 team at the FIBA Americas Championship in Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
