IU basketball freshman Bryson Tucker scores major honor before making his first basket
Zach Osterman- The Hudson and Holland Scholars Program “is a scholarship and support program for high-achieving students from communities historically excluded due to race and ethnicity.
BLOOMINGTON – Bryson Tucker, Indiana’s latest McDonald’s All American and a key piece of Mike Woodson’s roster reload this spring, added a new tag this summer that came as a surprise and is one he wears proudly:
Informed recently he’d been selected for the longstanding and renown program, Tucker said he felt tremendous pride at being accepted into the decades-old program.
“It’s huge, especially for me,” Tucker said. “It shows that you’re doing your thing on the court, and then also in the classroom.”
A National Junior Honor Society member, Tucker was an honor roll student as well. His mother, Tina, said his family has always prioritized academic excellence to the same degree as athletic success.
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Which made Bryson’s recent phone call, to let her know he’d been accepted into the Hudson and Holland program, a special one.
“It was both an honor and a surprise when we received it,” Tina Tucker said. “It is such a prominent program, and it has done so much good.”
The Hudson and Holland Scholars Program “is a scholarship and support program for high-achieving students from communities historically excluded due to race and ethnicity.” It draws its name from two inspirational figures in the university’s history: Dr. Herman C. Hudson, one of IU-Bloomington’s first Black leaders and the founder of its Department of Afro-American Studies, and Dr. James P. Holland, who spent more than three decades teaching and researching at IU, and is estimated to have delivered courses to more than 11,000 students during his career.
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Each Hudson and Holland award is renewed automatically on an annual basis, provided the scholar in question maintains a cumulative 3.0 grade point average.
There is a financial component to the program, one Tucker was required to turn down as he’s already on full athletic scholarship (he followed up with the program to ensure someone would receive the financial award he would otherwise have). But there are a host of other resources for Hudson and Holland Scholars that Tucker will be able to take advantage of, including diversity resources, course enrollment planning help, connections with various student organizations, wellness support, mentoring and more.
It also left a meaningful impression on him when, after his selection, multiple alumni of the program reached out with congratulations and offers of support.
“He really understood what that meant to even be recognized,” Tina Tucker said.
The honor serves as affirmation for a basketball player who emphasized academic success to such a degree that he took time away from the sport during the summer months of his prep career to tutor classmates.
Athletic achievement will always be important to the Tuckers, his mother said, but only when paired with academic success.
“It made me proud,” she said, “because I know the dedication, time and focus he puts into not just basketball, but education.”
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