IOWA CITY - Anthony Tucker leaves today with the rest of the Iowa basketball team when it begins a four-game exhibition tour of Italy and Greece.

It didn't take a European vacation to rock Tucker's world.

"I did that myself. I didn't make things easy for myself as a freshman, but my world is a lot different now," Tucker said.

Tucker sampled nearly all of the "college experience" during his first year at Iowa.

The 6-foot-4 guard led the Hawkeyes in scoring five times and started in eight of the 14 games he played.

He also served a suspension after a December arrest on public intoxication charges, coped with a bout of mononucleosis and was declared academically ineligible for the second semester.

Despite everything, Tucker never entertained thoughts of joining four Hawkeyes who transferred from the program after the 2008-09 season.

"Part of my character is to stick things out, learn from experiences," Tucker said. "I've learned a lot over the past year and I'll be better all the way around because of it."

He took care of business in the classroom during the spring semester, receiving two As, one B-plus and one B to regain his eligibility.

Tucker didn't stop there.

Unable to do much beyond participate in practices and watch home games from the bench in street clothes, Tucker committed himself to growing as a player.

"It's an old cliché, but Anthony had a choice between becoming bitter or better because of what he went through and he chose better," Iowa coach Todd Lickliter said. "I'm proud of the way he responded."

Tucker saw enough action last season to understand he needed to gain strength. He will take the court this weekend in Rome carrying nearly 20 pounds of additional muscle on his frame.

With the help of four sessions each week with newly hired Iowa strength coach Rusty Burney, he weighs 208 pounds and has seen no loss of quickness.

On the court, Tucker continued to work on his ball handling, shooting and defensive skills during individual workouts.

"The timing of this trip is perfect for me," Tucker said. "It provides me with a chance to go against good competition and give me a clear picture of where things are at right now."

With seven players on the roster, Tucker will be Iowa's primary ball handler. It's not an entirely new role. He had the ball in his hands much of the time on his high school team in Minnetonka, Minn., and labels the adjustment "minimal."

"I am prepared to deal with whatever comes my way," Tucker said. "I'm anxious to get going again and move forward."

Tucker does not have to look far to find a reminder of his newfound resolve.

Earlier this spring, he had the words of American writer William A. Ward tattooed on his left arm. The ink simply reads, "Adversity causes some men to break, others to break records."

Tucker takes those words to heart.

"I am not proud of my freshman season and I can't change it, but because it is where I started, I have an opportunity to turn things around and I expect to do that," he said.