FORT COLLINS — David Roddy has played his final game as a Ram. The versatile forward will forgo his collegiate eligibility and remain in the NBA Draft.
💚 Proverbs 3:5-6 pic.twitter.com/ccz59NHziC
— David Roddy (@droddy22) June 1, 2022
“It is with tearful eyes that I write this message,” Roddy said in a release. “Tears of joy and contentment with my basketball career at Colorado State University. The revival of Moby Madness, winning the right way, and above all, accomplishing a childhood dream of playing in the tournament are things I reflect on and cherish as I have gone through this process. After many days of prayer and reflection, I have decided to stay in the draft and pursue my dream of playing in the NBA.
“I just want to thank coach Niko Medved, Ali Farokhmanesh, Dave Thorson and the rest of the coaching staff over my last three years for making me a better basketball player, student athlete, and most importantly, a better human being. I am forever grateful to you all. To my teammates, I absolutely love each and every one of you. Thank you for creating life long memories with me and I cannot wait to see you along this journey.
“Finally Ram Nation, thank you all so much for accepting a kid from Minneapolis into your arms with care. Meeting each and every one of you was an amazing experience and I am humbly grateful for each of you making these past years unforgettable. It breaks my heart to leave early, but thank you for making it such an amazing time. I will forever be a Ram.”
The 2021-22 Mountain West Basketball Player of the Year and John Wooden Award finalist was one of two players from the Mountain West to be invited to the NBA Combine this spring, with the other being Fresno State’s Orlando Robinson. Roddy then worked out for multiple NBA teams, including Indiana, Orlando and most recently Toronto.
He had until 10 p.m. MT on June 1 to remove himself from the draft and return to Colorado State for his senior season. But ultimately the 6-foot-6, 255-pound forward elected to pursue his professional career this summer instead.
Obviously the news is bittersweet for the Ram faithful. With Roddy back in the mix there would have been a good chance for CSU to start the 2022-23 campaign ranked in the top 25, and expectations as a whole would have been the highest they have been for CSU hoops in the 21st century.
Coming off of a dominant junior campaign in which Roddy averaged 19.2 points per game on 57 percent shooting from the floor and 44 percent shooting from deep, though, there is definitely an argument that the 21 year-old has shown all that he can at the amatuer level. And while coming back would have been great for the program, there is no guarantee that it would have helped his pro stock.
Although the news is certainly a bit disappointing for CSU fans, the team is still in good hands with PG Isaiah Stevens leading the way. He’s one of the most underrated point guards in the entire country. John Tonje, Jalen Lake, Josiah Strong, etc. are all talented scorers themselves too. So it’s not as if Roddy is leaving behind a roster that is ill-equipped to compete, especially with two scholarships available to potentially add more depth for the front court.
But more importantly, Roddy has a chance to pursue his childhood dream of playing professional basketball — something that nobody can fault him for doing — even if it lowers CSU’s ceiling as a team. The versatile bruiser out of Minnesota aimed to leave the program in a better position than when he arrived and he did exactly that. He is a special talent and as genuine of a person as they come. It’s going to be a real thrill watching him chase his dreams at the next level.
