Some former students at Eastern Washington likely have some great stories about playing intramural basketball against a future NBA First-Round Draft pick.
Rodney Stuckey, who ranks 13th on the list of the Big Sky Conference’s “50 Greatest Male Athletes,’’ spent his first year at the Cheney, Wash., school playing intramural basketball because he wasn’t eligible to play yet for the Eagles.
“Basketball wise, I had to sit there and watch my first year,’’ said Stuckey in a phone interview from Detroit. “I also did intramurals, and we won the championship, too.’’
Stuckey, a 6-foot-5 guard from Kent, Wash., played just two seasons with the Eagles, but left an indelible mark at Eastern Washington and in the Big Sky Conference. After his freshman year in 2005-06, he was named the Big Sky’s MVP and Freshman of the Year. He’s the only freshman in league history to win MVP honors.
“It is an honor,” Stuckey said of his inclusion on the Big Sky’s list of “Greatest Athletes.’’
While starting at Kentwood High School , a number of big-time schools on the West Coast were interested in him. But academic shortcoming resulted in Stuckey not meeting the NCAA qualifying standards. Major programs started to back off, and advised Stuckey to attend a prep school, or go to a junior college.
Stuckey, however, decided to go to Eastern Washington and play for Mike Burns.
“It helped me in terms of school,” said Stuckey about being academically ineligible. “I came out there and did summer school before I even started. I obviously wasn’t playing my first year, so I took more classes. It just helped me out a lot. It gave me the next year, when basketball season came, a little bit more free time. I didn’t have to take a big load that term.”
During Stuckey’s freshman year he burst into the scene. In his very first conference game, he scored 56 points against Northern Arizona, the 12th-most points ever scored by a Big Sky player. He averaged 25.2 points per game, which is tied for ninth-most in league history. He garnered First Team All-Big Sky honors, was named the Collegeinsider.com Freshman of the Year, and became the first player in league history and just the 12th in Division I history to earn conference MVP honors as a freshman.
“It was an honor to get those my freshman year,” said Stuckey. “But it was more important for us to make the tournament. I have always wanted to. That was the ultimate goal.”
During Stuckey’s freshman season, Eastern Washington made it to the Big Sky tournament. EWU defeated Portland State 81-75 in the first round and lost to Montana in overtime in the semifinals 73-71. Stuckey was named to the All-Tournament team.
Stuckey’s last season with the Eagles was the 2006-07 season. Stuckey led the Big Sky Conference in scoring with 24.6 points per game. He was second in assists with 5.52 per game and second in steals with 2.45 per game.
He finished his two year career playing in 59 games. He scored 1,438 points for an average of 24.4 points a game. He again earned First Team All-Conference honors.
Stuckey’s average of 24.4 points per game ranks third in Big Sky history.
After the season, Stuckey quickly made the decision to leave for the NBA.
“I just sat down with my family and just talked to some coaches and they said it was time for me to go,” said Stuckey. “I pretty much did all that I could do. It was a tough decision. I had two years left and college is just the best time of your life.”
Stuckey was the 15th overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft and has been playing his whole professional career with the Detroit Pistons. Stuckey became the first Big Sky player selected in the first round since Montana’s Micheal Ray Richardson went in the first round in 1978.
Stuckey has been a solid player, starting at times, and coming off the bench at other stretches. He entered this season averaging 13.4 points and 4.2 assists per game. After his rookie season, he was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. In 2008, he scored a career-high 40 points in a win over the Chicago Bulls.
“The guys are faster and stronger,’’ Stuckey said of life in the NBA .“The pace is a lot faster. In college you have a 35 second shot clock and now in the NBA it is a 24 second clock. The game is a lot faster. You are playing a lot more games and traveling a lot. So you just need to make sure you get your rest, stay healthy and take care of your body.”
Eastern Washington retired Stuckey’s No. 3 jersey during a game in 2009. His jersey hangs from the rafters of Reese Court.
