ON THE SIDE

‘On the side’ is a mid-week glance at the week’s top ticket, streaks, numbers and miscellaneous sports rumblings involving Covington and Maple Valley.

ROOKIE HONORS

Rodney Stuckey, a 2004 Kentwood High graduate and first-round selection — 15th overall — was recently named to the 2007-2008 T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie team.

Stuckey appeared in 57 games as for the Pistons, averaging 7.6 points, 2.8 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game. He came off the bench in all but two of those games.

Stuckey started the season on the injured reserve after breaking his left hand in Detroit’s final exhibition game. He didn’t make his professional debut until Dec. 22 and went on to help the Pistons win the Eastern Conference’s Central Division.

Detroit was eliminated by Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The voting panel consisted of the NBA’s 30 head coaches, who were asked to select five players for the first team and five players for the second team, regardless of position. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players on their own team. Two points were awarded for first team votes and one for second team votes.

NOT FINISHED YET

Kentwood volleyball player Alison Fairchild may have missed the fall season with an injury, but her days of playing aren’t done just yet.

Fairchild, a middle blocker who missed this past season with a major knee injury, will play for the Class 4A team on July 19 at Fife High School in the 23rd annual All-State series.

The series includes six teams comprised of kids from all six state classifications (1B, 2B, 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A).

Fairchild was the only Kentwood player selected to compete. But she won’t be alone among local volleyball players as Tahoma’s Kaytlyn Aust, a junior, also was chosen.

MAKING THE CUT

This fall, Eastern Washington University will be entering its 100th straight season on the gridiron. To celebrate the milestone, the university recently recognized its top 100 players in the program’s history.

Local players who made the cut included: Defensive lineman Craig Steinmetzer (Tahoma, 1991), wide receiver Aaron Boyce (Kentwood, 2005) and linebacker Jason Marsh (Auburn, 1989).