All-star guard Jalen Rucker reappears on Army basketball roster as fifth-year player

Army all-star basketball guard Jalen Rucker has re-appeared on the Black Knights' roster, ahead of the fall preseason practices.

Rucker missed the entire 2023-24 season following his social media announcement in March 2023 to transfer out of West Point. However, cadets who begin their junior years commit to fulfilling their education and serve in the U.S. Army as commissioned officers. The academy did not release Rucker - who was headed into his senior season - from his commitments.

Rucker has scored 1,290 points through his first three seasons. He was honored by the Patriot League on its 2021 all-rookie team, 2022 second team and 2023 first team. He averaged 9.6 points as a freshman, 17.1 as a sophomore and 16.6 as a junior. Nearly a third of Rucker's 464 field goals have come beyond the arc, shooting at a career 32 percent clip from 3-point range.

As a junior in 2022-23, Rucker averaged 33 minutes per contest, shooting 46 percent from the field and averaging four rebounds and nearly four assists per game.

Head coach Kevin Kuwik - who is headed into his second season - would not comment on Rucker's departure when asked about it last September.

"That's one of those personnel situations that I really can't get into,'' Kuwik said at the time.

Army went 10-22 last season, dropping its final five games following a brief four-game win streak.

The return of Rucker enhances an older Black Knights lineup, which now has 10 seniors, four juniors, five sophomores and nine incoming freshmen. The newcomers are Jacen Holloway, Joshua Eli, Kevin McCarthy, Brendon O'Keefe, Alex Engro, Dayon Polk, Jaxson Bell, Dylan Murans and Nnaemeka Ikechi.

Army's 2024-25 schedule has not been released. Play is expected to begin in the first week of November.

kmcmillan@th-record.com

X / Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: All-star guard Jalen Rucker reappears on Army basketball roster as fifth-year player