#4 Desi Rodriquez
6-5 215 Position SF
The last 4 players, all sophomores entering their 2nd season bodes well for the future. The catch obviously is them all staying at the Hall.
Rodriquez is our first player on the list coming in at number 4. This ranking is based on potential and Desi playing his natural position of small forward.
Because of need DRod was asked to match-up against bigger and stronger players and although his play was admirable he didn't get to showcase his strengths. Hall fans hope that will change moving forward.
Strengths:
Rodriguez is a match-up nightmare because he's thick and powerful like an NFL tight end, with big time athleticism. He's a versatile scorer who is equally comfortable operating on the block or handling the ball on the perimeter. The fact that he's left-handed only makes him that much more of an unorthodox match-up. He's an old fashioned three-point scorer who seeks out and finishes through contact at the rim on a consistent basis. He'll take the ball off the defensive glass to start the break or leak out and finish it with speed and quickness.
Weaknesses:
The most glaring deficiency in his current offensive repertoire is his shooting range. He's much more of a consistent scoring threat inside of 15 feet and is going to need to prove himself capable of stretching defenses at his new level in college. He's also a volume scorer, who is going to need to prove efficiency with less touches and a more defined role. While he's versatile offensively, he's yet to establish that he is a natural SF on offense.
Bottom Line:
He's a poor man's Brian Laing. A small extremely athletic player who was a PC/C in HS who is really a SF at the next level. Rodriquez has a slightly better long range J than most believe but his strength is playing in the open court or taking the rock to the rim in the half court.
Rodriquez despite being undersize plays a power game and is not afraid to mix it up on the glass. He's also a very good defender although foul prone at times.
This coming year:
I expect Desi to start at the 3 this season. As noted above he sacrificed for the team by playing the complete 2014/15 season at the 4. That's not a problem matching up against some of the weaker squads on the schedule but it won't get the job done when facing the upper echelon teams in the Big East.
Rodriquez has to show that he is at least a moderate threat from distance on offense. Otherwise his ability to slash to the basket or pull up for a mid range jumper will be diminished.
SHU will be facing a lot of zones this season with the perception early on that a team weakness will be outside shooting. That makes DRod a very important player as he will have the opportunity to disprove that and if he doesn't you might see more minutes for his SF backup, Veer Singh.
Rodriquez and fellow Lincoln alum Isaiah Whitehead have a very good rapport on and off the court and I expect that will play out with our 6-4 PG looking for Desi often on the break and through half-court penetration.
Desi will also help on the boards and is a good defender. He just has to learn to tone it done slightly on the court because his aggressiveness both on D and O leads to fouls which will take him off the court and situate him next to the coaching staff.
I project Desi to play 25-28 MPG and score 10 PPG while grabbing 6 RPG. He's got to shoot better from the line and of course the arc while reducing his fouls.
6-5 215 Position SF
The last 4 players, all sophomores entering their 2nd season bodes well for the future. The catch obviously is them all staying at the Hall.
Rodriquez is our first player on the list coming in at number 4. This ranking is based on potential and Desi playing his natural position of small forward.
Because of need DRod was asked to match-up against bigger and stronger players and although his play was admirable he didn't get to showcase his strengths. Hall fans hope that will change moving forward.
Strengths:
Rodriguez is a match-up nightmare because he's thick and powerful like an NFL tight end, with big time athleticism. He's a versatile scorer who is equally comfortable operating on the block or handling the ball on the perimeter. The fact that he's left-handed only makes him that much more of an unorthodox match-up. He's an old fashioned three-point scorer who seeks out and finishes through contact at the rim on a consistent basis. He'll take the ball off the defensive glass to start the break or leak out and finish it with speed and quickness.
Weaknesses:
The most glaring deficiency in his current offensive repertoire is his shooting range. He's much more of a consistent scoring threat inside of 15 feet and is going to need to prove himself capable of stretching defenses at his new level in college. He's also a volume scorer, who is going to need to prove efficiency with less touches and a more defined role. While he's versatile offensively, he's yet to establish that he is a natural SF on offense.
Bottom Line:
He's a poor man's Brian Laing. A small extremely athletic player who was a PC/C in HS who is really a SF at the next level. Rodriquez has a slightly better long range J than most believe but his strength is playing in the open court or taking the rock to the rim in the half court.
Rodriquez despite being undersize plays a power game and is not afraid to mix it up on the glass. He's also a very good defender although foul prone at times.
This coming year:
I expect Desi to start at the 3 this season. As noted above he sacrificed for the team by playing the complete 2014/15 season at the 4. That's not a problem matching up against some of the weaker squads on the schedule but it won't get the job done when facing the upper echelon teams in the Big East.
Rodriquez has to show that he is at least a moderate threat from distance on offense. Otherwise his ability to slash to the basket or pull up for a mid range jumper will be diminished.
SHU will be facing a lot of zones this season with the perception early on that a team weakness will be outside shooting. That makes DRod a very important player as he will have the opportunity to disprove that and if he doesn't you might see more minutes for his SF backup, Veer Singh.
Rodriquez and fellow Lincoln alum Isaiah Whitehead have a very good rapport on and off the court and I expect that will play out with our 6-4 PG looking for Desi often on the break and through half-court penetration.
Desi will also help on the boards and is a good defender. He just has to learn to tone it done slightly on the court because his aggressiveness both on D and O leads to fouls which will take him off the court and situate him next to the coaching staff.
I project Desi to play 25-28 MPG and score 10 PPG while grabbing 6 RPG. He's got to shoot better from the line and of course the arc while reducing his fouls.
