David Roddy rises to stardom for Colorado State Rams
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Despite reaching the 20-win plateau each of the past two seasons, the Colorado State Rams have been on the outside of the NCAA Tournament looking in. The Rams haven’t seen the tournament since 2012-2013 when they advanced as far as the third round as a No. 8 seed.
After a 7-0 start this season, that looks to change mainly due to the play of junior forward David Roddy, who has a shot to be an All-American this season. The 6-foot-6, 255-pound Roddy has the size of an NFL tight end and was in fact a standout quarterback in high school. Joking that he’s a “positionless player” on the court and a “guy who plays everywhere,” Roddy’s preference is to play guard. And why not?
“They (guards) tend to be smaller guys, and I can take advantage in the post on offense, while staying in front of them on defense,” Roddy said in an article with the Denver Post.
Going back to Roddy’s high school days, he was the Minnesota Male High School Athlete of the Year in 2019 for his play on the football field, basketball court, and in track & field. Roddy dominated on the basketball court, finishing second in the state in scoring at nearly 30 points per game, to go along with 17 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots per contest.
Roddy was also a stellar quarterback, throwing for 1,776 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior, leading the team to the sectional tournament. Roddy was so talented at quarterback that he threw two touchdowns at the Minnesota All-Star football game at U.S Bank Stadium.
Also showing his massive strength, Roddy placed fifth in the state in the shot put and fourth in the discus as a junior. Heavily recruited in basketball, Roddy chose Colorado State University over Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, and Northern Iowa.
It didn’t take long for Roddy to make an impact, averaging 11.4 points and 5.6 rebounds as a freshman, starting 19 out of the 32 games he appeared in. Roddy’s play improved in Mountain West Conference games, averaging nearly 13 points and 6.1 rebounds. Roddy had a season-high 26 points in a win over Fresno State on Jan. 22, 2020 and a season-best 13 rebounds in a win over Wyoming on Jan. 4.
Taking over as a team leader as a sophomore, Roddy averaged a team-high 15.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He displayed great shooting touch, hitting 51% from the floor and 79% from the free-throw line. Roddy was recognized for his efforts by being named first team All-Mountain West by the media and the coaches.
For the second straight season, Roddy was at his best against conference foes, averaging 16.6 points and just under 10 rebounds per game, including a conference best 7.56 defensive rebounds per game. The highlight of the season was a 27-point, 15-rebound effort against Boise State on Jan. 27, 2021.
Although Colorado State failed to make the NCAA Tournament, they advanced deep into the NIT thanks to Roddy’s play, where he averaged 17 points and eight rebounds per game. For the season, Roddy had 23 double-digit scoring games and 13 games with at least 10 rebounds.
Entering this season, Roddy was 11th in school history in career double-doubles. Roddy is completely motivated this season to take the Rams as far as he can.
“I’m just trying to get this team to a championship,” Roddy added in the article with the Denver Post. “The main goal is just to get drafted into the NBA, whenever that may be. If basketball isn’t going the way I feel it should, I might be open to football.”
For the sake of the Colorado State basketball program and its fans, Roddy should opt to return for a senior season. If he continues to play the way he has in the early stages of this season, Roddy is likely to accomplish all the goals he set: an NCAA Tournament appearance and hearing his name on NBA Draft day.
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