Colorado State University Athletics
The Dish: Roddy Takes His Tasks to Heart
12/28/2020 9:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Versatile forward paves way as Rams win Mountain West opener
Early in the game can sometimes feel like early in the morning.
The coffee hasn't hit yet, the brain is foggy and the body follows. Let's let David Roddy go with that scenario.
Early in Monday's matchup with Fresno State, the carom of a missed free throw was right there in his lap, but his reactions were a tad slow and it moved past his hands and led to a put-back bucket for Fresno State. Colorado State coach Niko Medved was displeased.
So was Roddy. That became readily apparent. He wasn't exactly mad, just disappointed in himself.
"I wouldn't say I was upset. It was just kind of a simple mistake," Roddy said. "I mistimed a jump and Coach got on me, and we've worked on free-throw block outs ever since I've been here; we have a huge emphasis on those. I kinda took it to heart, and also I was guarding the five-man, so I was in position to get a lot of rebounds. I sealed my man and got my eyes on the ball, it was mine. That's how it went."
From there on out, rebounds were not just collected. They were grabbed. Lassoed. Brought down with authority. He had eight by the halftime break. By the end of the night, 13 to match a career-best.
It was part of a double-double effort for the sophomore, as he also led the Rams with 19 points in the game as Colorado State opened Mountain West play with a 75-53 victory over the Bulldogs at Moby Arena.
Every now and then, even the best players need a subtle reminder. Medved had seen a few lazy plays from his team early on, and Roddy's was the last straw, so to speak.
"I think we were playing pretty tough, but I also thought in the first half there were two loose balls on the floor that we weren't first to the floor on. That one rebound was a missed free throw," Medved said. "We were just a little lackadaisical there. Yeah, we were good, but that can't be a 7-out-of-10 or 8-out-of-10 thing, that's got to be 10-for-10 kind of mentality.
"The one thing about David is I thought he took it to heart and he just played like a man from there on out. We ask him to do so much … I mean, he'll bring the ball up and initiate offense, he'll play center, we need him to rebound, we need him to create. He can do all those things, so clearly we do have a high standard for him, but that's what he expects of himself. It was just a friendly reminder of how we need to play every minute we're out there on the court."
Roddy was anything but friendly to the guests, and he put on an assortment of hats during the evening, as Medved noted.
He led the Rams in scoring, too, his second best total of the year and the fourth time he's been in double digits. The double-double was the fourth of his career, which is really just getting started. And the rebounding, well, he's taking to that, too.
The Rams need even more from him this season, due to the composition of the roster. The bigs the Rams have are capable, but also inexperienced. Roddy has a season of low-post battles under his belt, and while they all know they have to do their part, they are looking to Roddy to lead the way.
Or at least clear the path with his broad shoulders.
"I would say it's a lot, especially if we have foul trouble or in general," guard Kendle Moore said. "David rebounding the ball for us is a big focal point, but like Coach said, we have to team rebound. If he boxes the big guy, we have to come down, hit and grab the rebound. For the most part, yeah, rebounding is something that David Roddy is excellent at."
Roddy knows it, too. In the prep up to the season, a larger piece of the rebounding pie was assigned to him, and he's not one to want to shirk responsibility.
So when he lets an easy one slip away, it stings a bit when he's not taking his whole slice.
"We have a lot of bigs in Dischon Thomas and James Moors, so we've got to share the ball, share the rebounds for sure this year," he said. "Just take it upon myself a little bit more since we don't have the nation's leader any more. We have to kind of divide it among ourselves."
Thursday, that wasn't the only extra he was asked to provide. Fresno State 7-footer Orlando Robinson is a tough assignment, and it was the job of Thomas and Moors to make his night rough. But when Moors picked up early foul trouble, Roddy drew that task, too.
Giving up length, he used muscle, a rather popular took for him in his arsenal. He does it well enough it allows Medved to go with a smaller lineup. The Rams used it against Santa Clara, also due to foul trouble, and Roddy gives them that option.
And a darn fine one, at that.
"I think it really provides an advantage for us at times, especially on offense," Medved said. "It's just David's versatility that makes him a special player."
So the Rams will continue to ask a lot of Roddy, and he'll continue to say yes. But the easy stuff is rare, and when the moment is missed, it's upsetting. To him and to his coach.
And doggonit, he wasn't about to let it happen again.
The coffee hasn't hit yet, the brain is foggy and the body follows. Let's let David Roddy go with that scenario.
Early in Monday's matchup with Fresno State, the carom of a missed free throw was right there in his lap, but his reactions were a tad slow and it moved past his hands and led to a put-back bucket for Fresno State. Colorado State coach Niko Medved was displeased.
So was Roddy. That became readily apparent. He wasn't exactly mad, just disappointed in himself.
"I wouldn't say I was upset. It was just kind of a simple mistake," Roddy said. "I mistimed a jump and Coach got on me, and we've worked on free-throw block outs ever since I've been here; we have a huge emphasis on those. I kinda took it to heart, and also I was guarding the five-man, so I was in position to get a lot of rebounds. I sealed my man and got my eyes on the ball, it was mine. That's how it went."
From there on out, rebounds were not just collected. They were grabbed. Lassoed. Brought down with authority. He had eight by the halftime break. By the end of the night, 13 to match a career-best.
It was part of a double-double effort for the sophomore, as he also led the Rams with 19 points in the game as Colorado State opened Mountain West play with a 75-53 victory over the Bulldogs at Moby Arena.
Every now and then, even the best players need a subtle reminder. Medved had seen a few lazy plays from his team early on, and Roddy's was the last straw, so to speak.
"I think we were playing pretty tough, but I also thought in the first half there were two loose balls on the floor that we weren't first to the floor on. That one rebound was a missed free throw," Medved said. "We were just a little lackadaisical there. Yeah, we were good, but that can't be a 7-out-of-10 or 8-out-of-10 thing, that's got to be 10-for-10 kind of mentality.
"The one thing about David is I thought he took it to heart and he just played like a man from there on out. We ask him to do so much … I mean, he'll bring the ball up and initiate offense, he'll play center, we need him to rebound, we need him to create. He can do all those things, so clearly we do have a high standard for him, but that's what he expects of himself. It was just a friendly reminder of how we need to play every minute we're out there on the court."
Roddy was anything but friendly to the guests, and he put on an assortment of hats during the evening, as Medved noted.
He led the Rams in scoring, too, his second best total of the year and the fourth time he's been in double digits. The double-double was the fourth of his career, which is really just getting started. And the rebounding, well, he's taking to that, too.
The Rams need even more from him this season, due to the composition of the roster. The bigs the Rams have are capable, but also inexperienced. Roddy has a season of low-post battles under his belt, and while they all know they have to do their part, they are looking to Roddy to lead the way.
Or at least clear the path with his broad shoulders.
"I would say it's a lot, especially if we have foul trouble or in general," guard Kendle Moore said. "David rebounding the ball for us is a big focal point, but like Coach said, we have to team rebound. If he boxes the big guy, we have to come down, hit and grab the rebound. For the most part, yeah, rebounding is something that David Roddy is excellent at."
Roddy knows it, too. In the prep up to the season, a larger piece of the rebounding pie was assigned to him, and he's not one to want to shirk responsibility.
So when he lets an easy one slip away, it stings a bit when he's not taking his whole slice.
"We have a lot of bigs in Dischon Thomas and James Moors, so we've got to share the ball, share the rebounds for sure this year," he said. "Just take it upon myself a little bit more since we don't have the nation's leader any more. We have to kind of divide it among ourselves."
Thursday, that wasn't the only extra he was asked to provide. Fresno State 7-footer Orlando Robinson is a tough assignment, and it was the job of Thomas and Moors to make his night rough. But when Moors picked up early foul trouble, Roddy drew that task, too.
Giving up length, he used muscle, a rather popular took for him in his arsenal. He does it well enough it allows Medved to go with a smaller lineup. The Rams used it against Santa Clara, also due to foul trouble, and Roddy gives them that option.
And a darn fine one, at that.
"I think it really provides an advantage for us at times, especially on offense," Medved said. "It's just David's versatility that makes him a special player."
So the Rams will continue to ask a lot of Roddy, and he'll continue to say yes. But the easy stuff is rare, and when the moment is missed, it's upsetting. To him and to his coach.
And doggonit, he wasn't about to let it happen again.
Players Mentioned
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