Roddy's Second Act Highlighted Versatility
Sophomore produced a reliable consistency for the Rams
Mike Brohard
There weren’t many complaints about his debut season.
David Roddy and his recruiting classmates at Colorado State were well regarded before they ever stepped on the court, and by all the measurable, they sure didn’t disappoint. It was an important year for all of them, to begin to establish themselves at the college level and to learn along the way.
What Roddy took away from his first season was not necessarily all the success, but a new feeling he’d never really experienced before.
“What I liked about my freshman season was it was kind of my first major case of adversity, I would say,” Roddy reflected. “Coming in, I wanted to start before the season began, but that just didn’t happen. I had to get into a little bit better shape, and I had a slight injury I was fighting through the first half of the season.
“Fighting through that and ultimately coming out on top and being one of the key guys on the team last year was the biggest thing I took away that I was proud of. Something I needed to work on was just shooting; I didn’t really shoot it that well. It wasn’t that I can’t shoot, it was more of fixing some form things.”
In averaging 11.4 points per game, Roddy shot 46.5 percent from the field. He made 73.9 percent of his free throws, but connected at lower than a 20-percent clip behind the arc. There were technical things he needed to work on, too, and as athletic and strong as he was, he could be even stronger and in better shape.
These are all things he figured out on his own, each item reiterated to him by the coaching staff. Head coach Niko Medved knew last summer would be important for Roddy. It was also going to be a summer like he’d never had before.
For the first time, Roddy could focus on basketball. A three-sport star in Minnesota, Medved pointed out Roddy never had a summer where he could focus strictly on basketball. There were no football camps, no track workouts.
Just basketball.
“If you think about it, it was cut short a little bit because of COVID, but you learn as a freshman and then you get to come in and you get an entire offseason to just focus on basketball,” Medved said. “I think there were a couple of things. Continuing to get leaner and stronger. The conditioning piece knowing there will be a lot on his shoulders that he’d have to do. I think he just really took his skill level to another level. He improved his shooting, he improved his footwork, he improved his passing, ball handling; all of those things I thought just continued to grow, and then as you get more experience, the game slows down for you. The great thing for David is I think he just has just so much room for growth.”
Across the board, Roddy’s numbers improved, and it turned him into a Mountain West Player of the Year candidate. Heading into Thursday’s NIT game with North Carolina State (5 p.m.; ESPN), Roddy is averaging 16.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, both noticeable gains from a season ago.
Also improved are his shooting percentage (51.5 percent from the field, 29.2 from 3 and 78.5 from the line), his assists and his steals.
Also improved were the Rams, because Roddy’s versatility gives Medved and his team options most coaches may not see. Even at 6-foot-5, Roddy can play like a big man, and the Rams had a lot of success this year when playing him at the center position.
At center. Against fit-the-mold bigs like Utah State’s Neemias Queta, Fresno State’s Orlando Robinson and San Diego State’s Nathan Mensah. He’ll see more of the when the Wolfpack trots out D.J. Funderburk and Manny Bates.
“It’s pretty amazing seeing what he can do,” CSU center James Moors said. “You don’t really see many 6-5 guys doing that, so it’s something special for sure. I think a lot of it is he’s so much stronger and more athletic than the usual 6-5 guy. That, and he just brings a mentality of I’m going to go get that. I think that’s what helps him.”
It’s consistency and it’s the versatility. I mean, he just has that factor about him, and he’s such a difficult matchup for opponents,” Medved said. “It’s the consistency and the versatility that really makes him special.Niko Medved
It was a lineup the Rams looked at last year, but there wasn’t much room to fit it in with Nico Carvacho eating up a ton of minutes as the spot and Dischon Thomas picking up the rest as a true freshman. But the idea was always there for Medved, and this year, it became a major part of the game plan.
There isn’t one thing about Roddy which makes it work, and that’s what Medved said makes the player so unique.
“Maybe in hindsight, we should have looked at playing that more in spurts (last year), but I think it just kind of worked out for us this year,” Medved said. “I think we started to see that last year, that just with his skill level, his ability to pass and drive it and stretch the defense from that spot that he was tailor made. It’s just his versatility, and that small lineup has been really effective for us this year.”
Roddy doesn’t try to pretend he’s 6-10, either. He’s more than happy with just playing his game while giving up nearly half a foot to the person he’s guarding or trying to score against. He also doesn’t work at all with the posts in practice, Medved said. Not a single minute. He spends all of his time with the perimeter players, and in doing so, there are aspects of what assistant Ali Farokmanesh is teaching him with footwork and being able to seal off defenders that translates inside.
There’s also the fact Roddy has played as a post most of his life, and the fact he could do non-post things as a prep is part of what makes him so intriguing. And part of why he likes playing the role.
“I would say so, for sure. The five kind of dictates the offense a lot,” he said. “Just definitely showing off my passing skills, which is definitely one of the things that happens when I’m at the five, as well as bringing a big out and using my driving skills and my speed and get past guys and get my guys open shots. It’s why that lineup is so dangerous, because everybody can shoot the 3, everybody can create for everybody else. It’s kind of a fluid motion.
“Yeah, I definitely love when we go to that lineup. It’s one of my favorites, to be honest.”
But most of all, what Colorado State has seen Roddy develop this season is consistency in his game. You can pretty much pencil him in for 15 points and seven rebounds a night.
In 25 games this season, Roddy has been in double figures in all but three, including a current string of 12 consecutive. He’s pulled down at least seven rebounds in the past 15 games. Of his 11 double-doubles this season, six have come in the final 11 games the Rams have played.
The Rams are counting on him for those types of performances more often than not. So is Roddy.
“Definitely. If I’m not doing that, then something’s wrong or Adam Thistlewood is going for 35,” Roddy said. “It’s one of those things. It ebbs and flows with the season. Early in the season, guys don’t know how to scout us and points will go up and the rebounds will go up as well. In conference season, it’s a lot harder. Everybody knows what you’re going to do, so it’s just a game-by-game basis. Getting to the free throw line definitely helps. Getting my teammates involved definitely opens up some things for me.”
The more nights like that he has, the better the chances the Rams have of extending their stay in Frisco, Texas for the NIT. And when this season is done, the process will begin anew of getting an entire offseason to focus solely on basketball.
Roddy knows he can still improve. So does Medved, which is a reality program wide.
“Listen, there’s never a finish line. You’re always growing, you’re always learning, you’re always trying to improve, you’re always trying to take the next step,” he said. “We didn’t ultimately get to where we wanted to, and David has had a great year, but he can get a lot better. Limit the turnovers, he can get better defensively, he can continue to improve as a shooter and decision maker, all these things. Even though he’s gotten into better shape, but can you get into elite shape? There’s all sorts of things you can continue to do to take your game to the next level, and that’s always our challenge, from the coaches all the way down to the players.”
But for a follow-up season, Roddy’s was pretty darn good. He went from a player who was counted on to being a go-to guy in crunch time. He went from one of the top freshmen to one of the top players in the league. He showed his style of play gives the Rams options, making them a tougher team to defend.
Medved watched as Roddy took the challenge of first-season success head on and turned it into production. He made himself better. And the Rams better.
“It’s consistency and it’s the versatility. I mean, he just has that factor about him, and he’s such a difficult matchup for opponents,” Medved said. “It’s the consistency and the versatility that really makes him special.”
There are no complaints with any of that. None at all. But both Medved and Roddy know the challenge will always be there, and part of his consistency has been his desire to not settle, but to see just how much he and his team can accomplish.
Continue down the path, ceilings crumble and the sky becomes a sea of endless possibility.