Utah Jazz notebook: Hot Rod will be honored Jan. 29

SAN ANTONIO — A retirement banner will be raised to the rafters of EnergySolutions Arena at halftime, and the building's media room will be named after him during a dedication ceremony before the Jazz's Jan. 29 game against Sacramento.

It will be Hot Rod Hundley's night in the spotlight, the team announced Wednesday, an evening honoring the longtime Jazz play-by-play announcer.

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, for one, considers the tribute well-deserved.

"He ... did a great job and I certainly enjoyed working with him," Sloan said. "We argued and fussed a lot of times after the game, but he certainly was a lot of fun to work with and we sure do miss him."

The remodeled pressroom will recognize Hundley's career from his time at West Virginia University to his final call as a Jazz broadcaster, which occurred when Utah lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of last season's NBA playoffs.

Hundley — who returned to Utah earlier this season to broadcast a game while working part-time for his former team, the Lakers — was the only member of the original New Orleans Jazz staff to remain with the organization for all of its first 35 seasons.

He called 3,051 Jazz games, missing only 14 in 31/2 decades.

Hundley spent the first 31 years of his Jazz career as the team's radio/TV simulcast voice, and the final four on radio alone.

On Saturday, incidentally, Hundley will join Jerry West as the only players to have their numbers retired by the West Virginia basketball program.

"Hot Rod Hundley was an important part of the Jazz franchise for 35 years," Jazz president Randy Rigby said in a prepared statement. "Though he's now enjoying retirement, we feel it is important for Jazz fans and the organization to formally thank him for his years of service and dedication.

"In addition to raising a banner ... we see the Hot Rod Hundley Media Center as an opportunity to showcase his passion for Jazz basketball and to be sure his presence remains."

CONCERTED EFFORT: Sloan suggested he's made a concerted effort to cut down this season on his count of technical fouls.

Last season, he had 11.

But he went into Wednesday's win at San Antonio, the start of the season's second half for the Jazz, with just two, and picked up none against the Spurs.