Nate Rucker is the dog.

A freshman from Memphis, Tenn., Rucker has quickly established himself on the NIU men’s basketball team. Averaging 7.6 points and five rebounds a game, the Huskies’ starting center has shown throughout the season that his bite is clearly bigger than his bark.

NIU guard Xavier Silas first referred to Rucker as “the dog” after an early season practice. The freshman’s hustle on the court impressed the senior.

“He’s a tough kid, and he is never going to back down from a challenge,” Silas said. “We’ll go anywhere, and he’ll be able to play there. That’s what I like about him.”

Silas gave Rucker his nickname just a few months ago, but the freshman’s rough style of play developed long before he came to NIU.

“If you could see me in high school you would see how rough I was,” Rucker said of his time at Melrose High School. “People would call me a dirty player, but I was just playing tough in my mind. I’m a tough guy. I just can’t be soft.”

Rucker took over the first half of a Jan. 20 game against Central Michigan. The freshman scored 11 quick points in the first half before getting into foul trouble.

“The dog’s” insistence on playing hard every second of the game has worked against him this season. Rucker usually finds himself on the bench late in games, either fouled out or in foul trouble.

NIU head coach Ricardo Patton is confident, though, that Rucker’s potential will be realized before the freshman’s time in DeKalb is over.

“The biggest thing is him learning how to play his defense a lot earlier,” Patton said. “He needs to anticipate his man’s next move and beat him to the spot instead of just reacting when the guy gets the basketball.”

Patton had a hunch Rucker could be something special when he first met him four years ago. Rucker’s sister Candace played on the Colorado women’s basketball team at the same time Patton coached the men’s team.

“When we went to drop my sister off at Colorado, I started to talk to the coaches before I was really into hoopin’, and they were pretty cool,” Rucker said of Patton’s staff. “The idea of playing for them didn’t seem bad at all.”

Patton didn’t concern himself with Nate at the time, but started to investigate the younger Rucker upon his arrival at NIU.

“We started recruiting him as soon as we got here, because we kind of befriended his sister,” Patton said. “The fact that we knew his sister helped us get in the door.”

Silas met Candace Rucker before transferring from Colorado. The senior guard knew after watching Candace play, it would be hard for Nate to live up to his big sister.

“His older sister was in the same grade as me,” Silas said. “She’s just as tough as him, and I think she can jump higher than him too.”

Going into the season, Rucker promised he would be a force in the MAC. Twenty games into the 2010-11 campaign, Rucker has yet to back down from his promise.

“I can definitely still be a force in the MAC,” Rucker said. “I just have to calm down on the fouls. Once I get the fouls under control, though, get ready.”