Player Profile: Rodney Ross
One in a series of articles on Central Penn basketball players this season.
From West Philly trash-can ‘buckets’ to hard-wood gymnasium courts
By Blake Myers
Knightly News Reporter
blake.myers@mymail.centralpenn.edu
Rodney Ross is a starting guard on the Central Penn men’s basketball team.
He’s from West Philadelphia.
Ross fell in love with basketball when he started shooting into a trash can in front of his house as a kid. He said that basketball was a good way for him to stay out of trouble and kill time, and it was a love connection to the game.
He said one of his greatest accomplishments was playing in the state championship game as a senior. Ross said he loved “all the eyes being on me and my teammates at the Giant Center.”
Photo by Blake Myers
He said even though his team lost, it was still an unbelievable experience for him and his teammates.
Ross faced his biggest obstacle when he was not on the basketball team last season. He mentioned staying focused and preparing for this upcoming season. He said he has a lot to prove to his team this season and he has very high expectations.
To which NBA player would he compare himself? Ross mentioned former Celtic guard Rajon Rondo. He noted that he picks and chooses what he takes from certain players in the NBA.
“I might take a couple of things from certain guys, but ultimately, I just try to play the game the way I like,” Ross said.
Ross said one of his coaches, Coach Lou, mentored him. Lou helped him by taking him under his wing and working out with him.
Ross said fellow Knight basketballer Quadere Allen has also inspired him. Ross said his teammate helped him by telling him to “stay with basketball and stick with it.”
He said that he views himself as a leader on the team and mentioned that he gets along with all his teammates and coaches.
“I feel like one of the guys on the team” he said, and that he is a “very likable guy.”
Ross said that as far as aspirations for the future, the team has the players and platform in place for this to be a championship season, adding that this is a “chip or bust” season.
He said he “needs a ring this season.”
He said he is thinking about doing a graduate year or possibly playing professionally in the future.
You can catch Ross and the other Central Penn Knights teams at centralpennknights.com and home games on The Knightly News YouTube channel.
Comment or story idea? Contact KnightlyEditors@CentralPenn.Edu.
Edited by media-club co-adviser and blog editor Professor Michael Lear-Olimpi.
