Rodrick Rhodes

Rodrick Rhodes (born September 24, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Houston Rockets in the 1st round (24th overall) of the 1997 NBA Draft.\n', ' As a prep player, Rhodes was a superstar from the time he was a freshman. He was a three time Parade All-American, and helped Jersey City\'s St. Anthony High School, led by Coach Bob Hurley, win two state titles in 1989 and 1991. At one point, he was considered as promising a prospect as future NBA star Jason Kidd.\n', ' He played collegiately at the University of Kentucky for three years. He transferred to the University of Southern California for his senior year. Kentucky coach Rick Pitino asked Rhodes to redshirt after his junior year, which is highly unusual and was seen by many, including Rhodes\' high school coach Bob Hurley, as a way to force Rhodes out. Kentucky landed star recruit Ron Mercer, considered by many experts the top prep senior in his class (along with Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury), and some feel this may be what led to Pitino asking Rhodes to redshirt. However, Pitino also redshirted fellow Kentucky senior-to-be Jared Prickett heading into that same season (1995–96), and Prickett helped lead Kentucky to the NCAA title game the following season, earning more minutes than he would have on Kentucky\'s deep 1996 championship team. And the following season, Pitino redshirted senior-to-be Jeff Sheppard, who would return to lead Kentucky to its third straight Final Four and an NCAA championship in 1998.\n', '