Troy Hudson is not very enthused about the night-life activities in Salt Lake City, but the former Saluki point guard says it has allowed him to say more focused on performing for an NBA team.

After an injury to John Stockton, NBA all-time career assists and steals leader, the Utah Jazz signed Hudson as a rookie free agent Oct. 2.

(Salt Lake City) is a little bigger, but there are a lot more things to do in Carbondale, Hudson said. I guess the positive is that you can concentrate a lot more on basketball.

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Landing a spot on the Jazz roster was not in the initial plans for Hudson, who played at SIUC from 1995-96 and is the school’s all-time career two-year scorer with 1,144 points. The Atlanta Hawks had shown some interest in him by inviting him to their Oct. 3 veteran camp.

But Hudson never made the trip to Atlanta because the Hawks chose to sign veteran player Donald Whiteside. Hudson said his play at Utah’s summer camp enhanced his chance of getting picked up by another team.

Hudson said the Hawks had promised Whiteside a spot in the team’s veteran camp. The Jazz invited Hudson to their camp after an impressive showing in Utah’s summer league.

Primarily used as a backup, Hudson is gaining the experience needed to be a success at the professional level. He has appeared in six games and played 17 minutes, averaging 2.0 points per game.

Veteran Howard Eisley and rookie first round draft pick Jacque Vaughn have split time at the point guard position in Stockton’s absence.

With Stockton scheduled to return in mid-January, Hudson knows his days as a member of the Jazz are limited. Utah signed him to a contract, but it is not guaranteed. If Hudson does not get cut by Jan. 10, then the Jazz must keep him on the roster for the remainder of the season.

If so, Hudson is guaranteed to make the league rookie minimum of $242,000. He currently is getting paid on a day-to-day basis at $2,951 per game.

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They can let me go whenever they want to, Hudson said. Eisley has a lot of experience, and Vaughn has a definite contract. I can still make the team when Stockton comes back, but it’s all up to the team.

Hudson still has the opportunity to continue playing basketball professionally. The Yakima Sun Kings of the Continental Basketball Association drafted him at the 13th spot in the first round.

Regardless of the outcome, the experiences Hudson has encountered have been priceless. Playing with superstars such as Stockton and Karl Malone have been a dream come true.

It’s good being around two future Hall of Famers and possibly three with Jeff Hornacek playing, Hudson said.

But his most exciting moment was when the Jazz went up against former Saluki forward Chris Carr and the Minnesota Timberwolves Nov. 24.

It was great to see two players from Southern Illinois play in the same NBA arena, Hudson said. I didn’t get a chance to play, but hopefully someday I’ll get the opportunity.