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Jose Rodriguez made the big move from the Bronx to the Lone Star State to go to college, and this season he will be 1 of the lone stars on the Texas Southern team. The Tigers only have 8 players on their roster, so they will need Jose to lead by example as 1 of only 2 seniors who will suit up this year. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Jose about missing an entire season with a knee injury and having 1 of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation.
You grew up in the Bronx: what made you choose Texas Southern? I had a strong father-figure who told me about Coach Davis, and when I came here on my visit and met him he was great. He was not selling me on a dream: he kept it real and was honest with me.
You play for Coach Mike Davis: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? I knew that he would push me to my limits to be the best person in every way both on and off the court. He coaches us about life in addition to basketball. He treats the whole team like grown men and keeps his door open so that we can always come and talk to him. I have learned a lot from this man: many people doubt us but he teaches us to never give up and how we should carry ourselves.
In January 2014 you scored 6 PTS in a 4-PT 3-OT win over Prairie View, and in January 2015 you did not play in a 1-PT 3-OT win over Mississippi Valley State: what is the key to winning triple-overtime games in January?! The key is to keep pushing it for all 55 minutes. Right now we are conditioning and doing 2 hours of straight work. When you have a good core of players and they all stick together, that is how you win games.
In the 2014 NCAA tourney you scored 14 PTS in a loss to Cal Poly: what is the biggest difference between the regular season and the postseason? There is a lot more pressure when it is win or go home: when you are down by 3 PTS you are tempted to shoot a 3 to try and tie it up. Coach Davis coaches us as hard as he can so that we feel like we have to win. However, I am a 5th year senior so I do not feel a lot of pressure.
You missed all of last year with a knee injury: how bad was it, and how is your health at the moment? I had a 3rd-degree MCL tear so I redshirted and kept it in a cast for 12 weeks. I thought about having surgery but just opted for therapy and took it slowly. I learned about the game more than anything else while sitting out: I would talk to Coach during practice and I feel that I have matured both on and off the court. I have no pain at the moment so I feel that it was a blessing.
Your team made the 2015 NCAA tourney before losing to Arizona: what do you think your team learned from that game that can help them this year? We were down big in the 1st half but played them even in the 2nd half, so we cannot put ourselves in a hole early due to all of the pressure. We learned to trust the system and keep fighting: even when you are down by 20 PTS the game is not over.
Your non-conference schedule is stacked with road games against Creighton/Clemson/Washington State/Mississippi State/Syracuse/Baylor: how are you preparing for such a gauntlet? Coach Davis does that every year. We prepare to play the best of the best and we know it will be a war but we will just go with the game plan and battle it out. We will try to win some of those games and build a name for ourselves entering conference play.
You are 1 of 2 seniors on the roster: how much pressure is there on you to be a leader this year? I just want to help my teammates if they get down or make some mistakes because nobody is perfect. I feel that I am mentally prepared and I have been ready since last spring to get this season going. We have worked out really hard this summer and have some new players who transferred in so we are a more mature group this year. Coach puts some pressure on me to be a leader and depends on me a lot, so I just try to stay focused on getting better every day for the final run.
Each of the 8 players on your roster grew up in a different state (including only 1 from Texas): how have you all been able to come together to form a single team? We are still in the process of forming the group we want to be but are learning how to get along with each other and how to understand the system. We are not perfect right now but should be good by November.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? The goal every year is to win a conference championship. I would like to win a couple of games in the NCAA tourney for Texas reasons: I believe that the Final 4 is in Houston this year!