Zane Rodriguez '21 Recruiting Profile

I have loved basketball since I was 2 years old. I have always had a passion and a dream to play college ball. Elementary school was when I truly realized that basketball was the sport for me.  I loved playing with all my heart. I just had to work hard every day to do exactly that. I remember those late nights at the park with my Dad making me shoot until I made 10 free throws in a row. These are the things that have helped me transition into a more fierce competitor and be able to excel. I have had to overcome a lot of negativity and have learned to persevere through it all no matter what.  I have always been the biggest kid, and I was picked on a lot about my size, but it fueled me to prove people wrong and work harder for everything I wanted. I started working out, cutting weight and weight lifting my 8th-grade year.  This helped me prepare for my Freshman season. During my Freshman season, I played junior varsity and varsity. I was up and down during December of my freshman year until I was finally pulled up for good. During my freshman year, we went to the second round of the playoffs and I helped my team come back from 15 points down to win our first playoff game against the number one seeded team. My Sophmore year I had cut a lot of weight and continually worked on my game and I felt like I was ready. At the end of that season, we were the first seed in our league but we lost in the first round. The loss was very painful because our team had felt so confident. However, it taught us all and helped us all push to be better. I'm in my junior year now and I'm ready.  My game has drastically improved from those 2 years and I'm more determined than ever. I'm ready to work hard and to prove to whoever will give me a chance that they did not make a mistake and that they are getting somebody with a passion, desire, and love for this game. I'm ready to get better, learn and make my dream a reality.

I have maintained a 3.2 GPA all throughout high school, and I want to make my dream of playing college ball a reality.  I desire to get a good education and better myself in any way that I can. I am a team player and pride myself on being a defensive-minded player. I have been an undersized center at times for years and take pride in shutting down guys that are a foot or more taller than me. I am willing to play whatever position to help my team win.