Stuckey, Eagles look to improve
CHENEY – Suggesting that Eastern Washington’s Rodney Stuckey needs to improve his game isn’t unlike proposing a pair of arms be attached to the Venus de Milo.
Of course, the ancient Greek sculpture doesn’t have a professional basketball career looming.
“You can always be a better shooter,” said Stuckey, whose 24 points per game last year were the most by a freshman in Big Sky Conference history. “I’ve got to work on my shot more.”
A 6-foot-5 combo guard, Stuckey acknowledged that he is looking ahead toward an NBA career. Certainly, there is a market for a guard with ideal size, ball-handling skills and the ability to get off his own shot.
Take a deep breath, though, because he has no intentions of leaving EWU no matter what kind success he enjoys this year.
“I’m not going to leave. I’m saying that right now,” Stuckey said. “Whatever happens happens, but I’m sure I’m coming back for another year – without a doubt.”
One year removed from what may have been the greatest freshman season in Big Sky history, Stuckey is ready to help Eastern get to the NCAA Tournament for the second time.
Stuckey set seven EWU records last year, and his scoring average ranked eighth in the nation. Collegeinsider.com named him the nation’s freshman of the year.
“(Accolades) don’t mean anything,” Stuckey said. “It’s good and stuff, but I’m not satisfied until we make it to the tournament. The goal is to make it under the big lights. … It’s made me more hungry. Teams know who I am now, and I’m getting more recognition. And I know NBA scouts are looking at me.”
With Stuckey filling up the basket, Eastern improved by seven victories last year and finished 15-15. But to surpass that mark, Stuckey could use some help after leading the Eagles in scoring in their final 27 games.
Eastern coach Mike Burns saw to that this past off-season when he added junior college transfer Omar Krayem and recruit Michael Taylor to the Eagles backcourt. That should facilitate Stuckey moving to shooting guard after spending almost all of his freshman campaign running the EWU offense as a point guard.
“We’ll still use him at (point guard), especially in transition off missed field goals and that sort of thing,” Burns said. “It will make him a lot greater threat all around. … The more we can use him in different areas, it will help him and help his teammates by creating opportunities.”
“The difference will be me not bringing the ball up, which tremendously takes a lot of pressure off me,” Stuckey said. “I’ll be on the wing more, so I should get the ball more. We’re going to be more of a run-and-gun team this year, and we’re going to push the ball up.”
Stuckey said he didn’t have a lot of experience playing point guard until last year, and he was quick to admit that he suffered a few hiccups.
“It was hard,” he said. “Man, I had one game where I had 10 turnovers, and there were games were I had six. It was really hard and a learning experience. But I loved it because the ball was always in my hands.”