Eastern Washington University Athletics

An honorable mention NCAA Division I All-American in both of his two seasons as an Eagle, Rodney Stuckey went on to play 10 years in the National Basketball Association (2007-17) for Detroit and Indiana. He had his EWU jersey retired in ceremonies that took place on Jan. 11, 2009, at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. As part of the celebration for the 50th anniversary of the Big Sky Conference in the 2013-14 school year, he was selected as No. 13 on the list of the league’s 50 Greatest Male Athletes. Stuckey led Eastern to 30 victories in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons combined. He broke 10 school records and had a career total of 1,438 points and a 24.4 average per game, which still stands as a school record through the 2023-24 season. Known for his aggressiveness in driving to the hoop, through the 2023-24 season he still has the top two performances in school history for both free throws attempted (254 in 2007, 225 in 2006) and free throws made (215 in 2007, 171 in 2006).
 
In 2006-07 for the second-straight season, Stuckey received honorable mention All-America honors by the Associated Press as one of the top 63 players in NCAA Division I. He was also selected on the 16-person All-America squad selected by Collegeinsider.com. In addition, he was selected to the All-District 9 squad by the United States Basketball Writers Association and earned All-District 13 honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Collegehoops.net named him as a first team Mid-Major All-America selection and he was a unanimous selection on the All-Big Sky Conference team. He was selected as a third team selection on the Academic All-America team in 2007, becoming EWU’s first-ever Academic All-American at the NCAA Division I level and just the 22nd in Big Sky Conference history, Stuckey had a 3.34 grade point average through 11 quarters of work at EWU.

Stuckey ranked seventh in NCAA Division I in scoring and led the Big Sky at 24.6 points per game in 2006-07 (a school record that still stands through the 2023-24 season). He was second in assists with 5.52 per game and second in steals with 2.45 per game, and his 215 free throws made and 254 attempted remain as school records through the 2023-24 season. Stuckey scored 45 points versus Northern Arizona on Jan. 5, 2006, which stood as a school record for nearly 14 seasons and is still tied for the most versus a NCAA Division I opponent in school history (through the 2023-24 season). He was selected as the 2007 Inland Northwest Amateur Male Athlete of the Year, presented by the Inland Northwest Sportswriters and Broadcasters organization (SWABS). At the time, he was just the second Eastern student-athlete to win the honor since it was first awarded in 1948 (Scott Garske in 1973 was the other).
 
Playing for a team with just one senior, Stuckey burst onto the scene in the 2005-06 season with one of the best seasons by a freshman in NCAA Division I history. Among his many awards was being honored as CollegeInsider.com Freshman of the Year after a record-breaking season unmatched in the history of Eastern Washington and by any freshman in what was then the 43-year history of the Big Sky Conference. The 6-foot-4 guard from Kentwood High School (2004 graduate) in Kent, Wash., set seven school records, including a 24.2 scoring average per game which at the time was a Big Sky record for a freshman and the seventh-best overall in the history of the league. His average ranked eighth in NCAA Division I. His 726 total points were the fifth-most in league history, the most in the conference in nearly 30 years (since 1978-79) and the most-ever by a freshman in the BSC.

Stuckey became just the 36th player in NCAA Division I to lead his conference in scoring as a freshman. He won league MVP and Freshman of the Year honors, and in the process, became the first player in Big Sky history and the 12th in Division I history to earn league MVP honors as a freshman. His many accolades also included Mid-Major All-America and Freshman of the Year honors by Collegeinsider.com; selected to the Freshman All-America second team by Rivals.com; National Freshman of the Week accolades by CBSsportsline.com and Rivals.com; Big Sky Conference All-Tournament; and four Big Sky Conference Player of the Week awards. He was also Eastern’s first-ever member of the NABC All-District 13 squad. He was honored on the Academic All-District VIII squad for accumulating a 3.34 grade point average through five quarters of academic work at EWU. He was also a finalist for 2006 Inland Northwest Amateur Male Athlete of the Year.
 
NBA
After declaring himself eligible for the NBA Draft following his sophomore season at EWU, the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association selected Stuckey as the 15th pick overall in the 2007 NBA Draft. Stuckey was scouted by the Pistons during his sophomore season, and at one point mentioned Detroit as his pick to win the NBA title and an organization he highly admired. Stuckey is EWU’s highest draft pick and at the time was the second-highest selection in the Big Sky Conference. In 10 years in the NBA (2007-17), Stuckey started 302 of 651 games and averaged 27.5 minutes, 12.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game. He had an overall field goal percentage of .423 and shot .300 from the 3-point stripe and .824 from the free throw line. He had career highs of 40 points (Detroit vs. Chicago on 12/23/08), 14 rebounds (Indiana vs. Portland 12/13/14), 14 assists (twice), five steals (twice) and 50 minutes (Detroit vs. Houston on 3/19/09). His 28-game playoff totals (six as a starter) included averages of 8.7 points, 3.8 assists and 2.0 rebounds.

Stuckey made his NBA debut in the 2007 Summer League in Las Vegas, Nev., helping the Pistons to a 4-1 record with averages of 30.6 minutes, 19.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. But he injured his hand during the preseason and missed the first 25 games of the regular season. He finally made his NBA debut on Dec. 21, 2007, and his first start in the NBA was on March 1, 2008, in a 103-73 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. He was impressive as a rookie, earning second team NBA All-Rookie Team honors as selected by the league’s head coaches. He finished his first season with averages of 19.8 minutes, 7.8 points and 2.9 assists per game as the Pistons advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals where they lost to eventual NBA champion Boston. His minutes increased in the playoffs as he averaged 8.2 points and 3.4 assists, while making 87.9 percent of his free throws, in 17 playoff games.

In his second season in 2008-09, Stuckey started 65 of 79 games, averaging 31.9 minutes, 13.4 points, 4.9 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.5 rebounds. In his third season, he was a starter in all but six of the 73 games he played and averaged 34.2 minutes, 16.6 points, 4.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 3.8 rebounds. In the 2010-11 season – his fourth – he started 54 of 70 games and averaged 15.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals and a career-high 5.2 assists. In 2011-12 – his fifth season as a pro – Stuckey started 48 of 55 games and averaged 14.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.8 steals and a 3.8 assists. His sixth NBA season in 2012-13 ended with him starting 24 of 76 games and averaging 11.5 points, 3.6 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 0.7 steals. In his seventh and final campaign with the Pistons, Stuckey averaged 13.9 points, 2.1 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 0.7 steals. In 2014-15 – his eighth season as a pro and first with the Indiana Pacers – Stuckey averaged 12.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 0.8 steals per game in 71 games (36 starts). Stuckey signed a new 3-year, $21 million contract with the Pacers on July 21, 2015. In his ninth season in 2015-16, he averaged 8.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in the regular season before playing in the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. He averaged 6.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in a seven-game playoff loss to Toronto. Stuckey, who missed 19 games in January and February with an ankle sprain, had season highs of 23 points (twice) and eight assists. Playing in his 10th NBA season and third with Indiana, Stuckey played in 39 games in the 2016-17 season and averaged 17.7 minutes, 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He was waived by the Pacers on March 29, 2017.
 
Stuckey resides in the Seattle area, and since 2019 has owned and operated the Shoot 360 basketball training facility in Kirkland. He previously coached at Kentwood High School with his former high school teammate Blake Solomon.