A Tribute to the Seniors, Portland Edition: Derrick Rodgers

March 6, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Portland Pilots guard Derrick Rodgers (15) controls the ball against the Loyola Marymount Lions during the second half of the WCC Basketball Championships at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Derrick Rodgers embodies the consummate team player. Rodgers is a player that is regarded as the Pilots best perimeter defender that could play both point and shooting guard. He did not necessarily light up the stat sheet with his scoring, but Rodgers did all the other things to help the University of Portland night in and night out. He might not have all the accolades that some of the other players in the WCC have, but Rodgers will be missed equally as much because of his commitment to being a team player.

Just by watching Rodgers play for only about five minutes, it is evident how important he was to the Pilots, especially in his senior season. Rodgers averaged 6.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game in his senior year for the Pilots. Other than blocks and turnovers, Rodgers improved in every statistical category throughout his three year career as a Portland Pilot. On February 7th, in a game against LMU, Rodgers had a career high 11 assists en route to a 69 to 60 victory over the Lions.

Rodgers started out his college basketball career at Citris College in Glendora, California, where he started all 32 games for the Fighting Owls. After his freshmen year, he transferred to U of P, where he instantly turned into a vital part of the Pilots. As alluded to before, Rodgers is regarded as Portland’s best perimeter defender. This means that he often went head to head with the likes of Anthony Ireland, Kevin Foster, and Johnny Dee. That is certainly not the easiest of tasks.

Cheers to a great career, Derrick Rodgers!