The whole ecosystem of athletics is based on perseverance, toughness, and strength. Every individual moment separates the good players from the great players. In college basketball, the most memorable moments come from the championship players and coaches who will have their names etched on the throne of history.
Among the 68 teams that made it to March Madness last year, Longwood stood out as one of the smallest programs in the field. Yet, the 2023-24 Lancers were anything but small when it came to exceptional stories and remarkable comebacks.
Take Elijah Tucker, a 6-foot-9 forward who averaged nearly eight points per game while shooting an impressive 57% from the field last season. Despite battling recurring injuries, Tucker remained a pivotal player for the Lancers during their successful season. What makes his story truly extraordinary, however, is what he endured off the court to make it all possible.
“Growing up watching March Madness, and [saying] one day that’s going to be me,” Tucker said. “Then actually starting in a game and being able to play in front of my friends and family… It was an amazing experience.”
As a valuable rotational player, Tucker remains a key contributor for the Lancers this season, averaging 7.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
The junior’s basketball journey began in his youth, growing up in the South in a family with a deep passion for sports.
“My mom played basketball at the University of Tennessee… I’ve been playing since I was four years old,” said Tucker.
He was a three-star recruit out of Canton, Georgia, committed to playing basketball at Xavier. That June, before his freshman year could even begin, he became afflicted with mono. He was only there for two weeks before he got sick. After a few days of not doing much, he continued to get worse.
“They took me to the ER, and they gave me fluids and a steroid, and after that they discharged me,” he said.
His coaches at Xavier allowed him to return home to be with his family during this difficult time. However, when his condition didn’t improve, he made another trip to the emergency room.
Upon being back in an ER just a few days after his first visit, Tucker received blood tests, revealing his white blood cell count was low. After being referred to a hospital, Tucker underwent an MRI, which showed a scary reality.
“I had these things called lesions in my lungs. I was there for five days, and they basically just ran tests and [gave me] a lung biopsy,” Tucker said.
The doctor discharged Tucker from the hospital. But after returning home, he quickly realized something still was not right.
“I was hanging out with my friends one day, and it wasn’t really making any sense… I was disoriented. I wasn’t being myself,” he said.
Tucker’s dad took him back to the hospital, where they got a chilling diagnosis.
“They saw that the lesions in my lungs had spread to my brain, which was blocking my brain fluids from draining down the spinal cord,” he said.
After entering emergency surgery, Tucker began an intensive recovery process. He leaned on the support from his family and friends to help him get through the program.
“For me, I really leaned on my dad and mom, and people at the school. I talked to a psychologist for a week. I tried to get closer to God,” he said.
Tucker gradually became ready to play basketball again with his newfound confidence through what he had endured.
“When you go through something like that, you have to have patience,” Tucker said. “You want everything to come back so fast, you want the skill, you want the strength all back so fast. I really had to sit down and take a deep breath and have faith.”
Tucker transferred to Longwood in 2023 and played a massive role in the Lancers’ run in the Big South Tournament only two years after his medical scare. He became the starting center midway through the season, propelling Longwood to March Madness, where the Lancers lost to Houston.
“[Some] people didn’t think I would be able to play again… It’s so crazy to think that a few years ago, I was on my deathbed, and now we went to March Madness and won the Big South Championship,” he said.
The Lancers represent a smaller school with a lesser-known program, but Tucker represents the exact fighting spirit that makes collegiate athletes special.
