Austin, Texas ? As hard as he worked to be a great basketball player, Texas’ P.J. Tucker admits he was his own worst enemy in the classroom.

Showing up late to class (when he didn’t skip altogether), listening to music during the lectures and just not taking his classes seriously caught up to him and his team when the junior forward was declared ineligible and forced to miss the final 14 games of last season.

“You just can’t do that stuff,” Tucker said Tuesday, the day before he starts a new semester with his eligibility restored. “It’s not rocket science.”

The school announced last week that Tucker would return. He sat down with reporters Tuesday to talk about his long road back to the team, the push from his academic counselors and his heavy work load in his sociology major during the spring and two summer semesters.

“So many bad habits for so many years. It was time for it to happen, and it did,” Tucker said. “I learned that you got to change. It’s all about maturing.”

And about hitting the books, going to class, sitting up front and paying attention. Any motivation he needed to succeed was right in front of him.

Allowed to practice with the team, Tucker had to watch the games from the bench. He was the Longhorns’ leading scorer and rebounder, and Texas was ranked as high as No. 12 with him playing. But once he left, Texas stumbled through a 6-8 finish during the 14 games he missed.

“I felt like I owed something. I felt like I hadn’t given them my all. That’s a bad feeling,” he said. “You can’t be there for your teammates when they really need you. I couldn’t apologize enough. I just promised I’d come back and make it right.”

Although Texas officials have not revealed exact details of his academic problems, Tucker has acknowledged he didn’t earn enough credit hours in the 2004 fall semester to stay eligible. NCAA rules require a player to pass six credit hours of course work in the first semester. That meant a lot of catching up to do.

Coach Rick Barnes said despite the deep hole Tucker dug for himself, he was confident his standout player could pull himself out.

“I knew he’d make it back,” Barnes said. “He never pouted.”

Tucker watched the Longhorns’ loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by himself. He didn’t travel with the team and could only watch in frustration as Texas got bounced before the round of 16 for the first time since 2001.

Tucker said he developed the bad study habits at an early age. It wasn’t until he had problems at Texas that he was forced to pay a price.

Now Tucker says he has a new appreciation for the classwork and the simple things that make a difference between passing and failing. Tucker says he grew up in Raleigh-Durham (N.C.) Boys & Girls Club and wants to work with kids someday and be able to provide those lessons.

There’s a lot of basketball to be played first.

“I’m happy to be back,” he said.