Eastern Washington will  try to build on its impressive 6-1 home record when it entertains Big Sky Conference rival Weber State at Reese Court on Sunday.

Tipoff is set for 1:05 p.m., with the Wildcats riding the momentum of their upset road win over defending league championship Portland State on Thursday.  Adding to the excitement will be the halftime jersey retirement ceremony for former Eagles All-American Rodney Stuckey.

I talked with Stuckey earlier this week and have included an unedited version of the story I filed for Sunday's S-R below. In addition, I've included this link that gives more details on the ceremony; this link to EWU-Weber games notes supplied by Eastern sports  info department and this link to Weber State's game notes.

 

 

TRAVEL-WEARY STUCKEY RETURNING TO EWU

Now in his second season of playing for pay, the Detroit Pistons’ Rodney Stuckey has become a bit more accustomed to the demanding coast-to-coast travel and grueling schedule of the National Basketball Association.

 

 

Still, considering how hectically the last few days have played out, the former Eastern Washington University All-American admits he will probably be running on empty when he returns to Reese Court this afternoon to be on hand when the No. 3 jersey he wore in his two seasons with the Eagles is official retired during halftime of EWU’s 1:05 Big Sky Conference matchup against Weber State.

 

 

 “Yeah, I’m getting more used to the grind,” Stuckey said in a phone call interview from Denver earlier this week, where the Piston were preparing for Friday night game against the Nuggets that they won 93-90.  You get used to it, and your body adapts after awhile.

 

 

“But there’s no doubt I’ll be tired when I finally get back there.”

 

 

And one needs only to glance at Detroit’s early January schedule to understand why.

 

 

After opening 2009 with a home game against Sacramento on Jan. 2, the Pistons embarked on a four-game western road swing that saw them play the Los Angeles Clippers last Sunday, the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, the Nuggets on Friday and the Utah Jazz on Saturday.

 

 

Stuckey, who is averaging just over 13 points, five assists and three rebounds in his second season as a budding NBA star, started and played major minutes in all four games.  In Portland on Wednesday, the former prep star at Kentwood High School in Kent had to round up 40-plus complimentary tickets for family members and friends who traveled from the Seattle area.

 

 

And he was scheduled to fly out of Salt Lake City following the Piston’s Saturday night matchup against the Jazz in order to make it to Cheney for the start of Eastern’s game this afternoon.

 

 

If his travel plans work out, Stuckey plans to make the most of his short stay at Eastern, where he spent two seasons scoring 1,438 points and breaking 10 school records before declaring for the 2007 NBA Draft, where he was a first-round pick Pistons and just the 15^th players taken overall.

 

 

“I had a lot fun when I was there, playing basketball and being around my teammates,” said Stuckey, who averaged 24 points per game at Eastern and became the first freshman in the history of the Big Sky Conference to be named the league’s most valuable player.  “It’s going to be good to get back, see all the people I haven’t seen for awhile, watch a game and sign some autographs for Eagle fans.”

 

 

When asked what he misses most about his college days, Stuckey quickly answered: “Hanging out with my friends.  Once you step out of college and into the real world, it becomes all about taking care of business and paying bills – even in the NBA.”

 

 

Stuckey, who scored at least 30 points in nine of his 59 games at Eastern – including a school-record 45 against Northern Arizona during his freshman year, has dramatically improved his numbers with the Pistons of late, scoring a career-high 40 points in a 104-98 win over the Chicago Bulls back on Dec. 23, and dropping 38 on the Sacramento Kings in Detroit last Sunday.

 

 

“It’s just been a matter of taking advantage of more opportunities, and that’s pretty much it,” he said of his recent scoring surge. “My teammates know that I can do, and they’ve all told me to just keep feeling it every night, so that’s what I’m trying to do.

 

 

“The biggest thing I’ve been working on this year is trying to become more consistent and trying to comme out and play hard every night. Really, my first job out there is to get my teammates the ball, and I’ve just been playing off them, and our defense.

 

 

“It’s really no big deal.”

 

 

Stuckey is hoping, however, that today’s jersey retirement ceremony will be. And it should, considering he is believed to be the first Eastern basketball player to be so honored.

 

 

“It’s really a great honor, and I’m humbled by it,” Stuckey said. “If you have talent, the NBA will find you, no matter where you play. And I’m very grateful to Eastern Washington University for giving me a chance to showcase my talent.”

 

 

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