College Commitment: Joey Rodrick (2019 Cleveland HS)
It wasn’t surprising that there was plenty of college interest in Joey Rodrick. The 6-foot-4, 170-pound wing is a solid player now but it’s clear with some physical development the tools are all there for him to be an impact performer in the future. A number of schools showed interest in the recruiting process but one school stepped forward with an offer and in the end, it was Humboldt State that was able to secure Rodrick’s commitment on Wednesday.
“I’ve been there twice on two visits, I’ve seen games, I’ve seen them have practice, I’ve talked to the coaching staff multiple times and honestly the biggest thing for me is that Coach (Steve) Kinder has been there a very long time and he plans on staying,” Rodrick said. “He’s a very good coach and his whole career has been at Humboldt. I’ve had three high school coaches in four years, so that loyalty part is important to me.”
“He was really great to my family when they were down there for a visit,” he continued. “All the little things added up and it was a gut feeling and I made the decision. It was the best place for me.”
Rodrick noted that Humboldt State made the offer a couple of weeks ago and he thought about committing then, but had some other schools in the works that he wanted to hear more from. But as time went on and after he made his second visit to campus – this time with his family accompanying him – he knew he had the right fit for himself both off and on the court.
“Right now they have four freshman coming in and two or three D-I transfers and a JC guy or two, so there’s a chance I might redshirt,” Rodrick said. “But when I went down there I got a good feel for the guys and the way that they play. They’re a strong and athletic team and it’s an up-tempo sort of offense and they play really strong defense. The biggest thing for me was they were very team-oriented and everyone wants to see the other one succeed. They’re a family and that was huge for me.”
Rodrick will be signing his letter-of-intent with Humboldt State in the upcoming days. He currently ranks as the #27 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2019 rankings.