Fresh On the Court: Sam Rodriguez is the only freshman on the JV/Varsity basketball team this season

Freshman Sam Rodriguez was sitting on the bench intently watching the East versus Rockhurst varsity basketball game when the entire student section erupted. We want Sam! We want Sam! This was rare because Sam is the shortest member of the team.

Shocked to hear his name, he couldn’t help but grin, struggling to stay focused on the game — all his effort had paid off.

“[I was] very, very shocked,” Sam said. “I didn’t expect that to happen, but once it got going I was amazed that it could really happen to me.”

As the only freshman on the JV/Varsity basketball team in four years, Sam works to stay on top of his shooting and defense skills by going to school early to practice. He also goes to Matt Ross during the week to play pickup basketball with random players he finds there. This contributed to him being able to get playing time in the Rockhurst varsity boys game.

“I felt excited and privileged [to make the team] because not many freshmen get to play for the JV team at East, so I felt very special,” Sam said.

Since he was 12 years old, Sam would watch East basketball games in hopes of playing for the team when he started high school. He knew that playing against Rockhurst was a big deal based on the ongoing rivalry between the two schools. He felt valued that the coaches trusted him to play in such an important game.

His mom Michelle Rodriguez watched the game from the parents’ section and struggled to hold back tears after hearing the chant.

“It just represented who Sam is,” Michelle said. “Everyone supporting him knowing that he is a genuinely kind person, and he’s an extremely hardworking athlete.”

Sam has been playing basketball since first grade, but started to take it seriously going into seventh grade when he joined MOKAN — a local club basketball program. He also joined the Indian Hills Middle School team and started every game, earning a career-high of 27 points in one game.

Coach Ryan Oettmeier has noticed Sam’s early-morning shooting sessions and the hours spent training at Matt Ross. Oettmeier says that Sam’s footwork and shooting has improved over the three months of the season.

“[He goes to] Matt Ross and he just plays there for hours,” Michelle said. “And whenever he would get the chance to continue practicing and shooting, he’d play in our backyard. He has taken every opportunity he can to make himself into a better player. He’s just very dedicated to improving his game.”

Sam is known for his work ethic and diligence in the game, according to Oettmeier. Many of his teammates at East and MOKAN say that he has a great ability to stay positive and lift others up.

Even though he enjoys playing with older students, being the only freshman on the team can be challenging because of the need to match the physical strength of his teammates.

“There’s an expectation that I always have to perform at a high level,” Sam said. “Being the only freshman, there’s a lot of pressure that I have to deal with.”

Freshman Henry Barnett has also been playing with Sam since he joined MOKAN. He and Sam are very close teammates and work well together, according to Barnett.

“[Sam’s attitude is] very positive,” Barnett said. He tries to bring everybody up. Even if the team chemistry is down, he’s always looking to bring somebody up.”

Freshman Brooks Dillon has been playing with Sam for three years since they met at MOKAN. Dillon has not only grown close to Sam as a teammate, but also as a friend. They work on basketball skills, but also watch scary movies together and hang out at school. 

“We watch a lot of movies,” Sam said. “We like to just hang out and talk to each other, and [we] usually go on walks to the Village.”

Sam has developed strong relationships with the upperclassmen on the team to the extent that some seniors have offered him a ride home after practice. He enjoys spending time with the seniors at practices, games and team dinners every Thursday night.

“It’s just about team chemistry and building that [relationship],” Sam said. “That’s something I’ve worked on a lot this year.”

Sam’s favorite aspect of being on the team with upperclassmen is playing with a different age group than he usually does. He hopes to grow even closer to his teammates next year.

“I’m definitely going to keep in touch,” Sam said. “I’ll talk to them a lot, hang out with them over the summer, shoot with them and work out with them.”

Sam’s goals for the future are to finish out the season strong, move up to varsity full-time as a sophomore, and hopefully play basketball in college. He describes the sport as his safe space. When he plays basketball he’s able to stop thinking about everything but the court.

“Basketball has always been a thing where when I play, everything just goes away,” Sam said. “It’s something that I can really just focus on.”