JUCO PG has WVU interest

There was a time in the not too distant past that Marshalltown C.C. (Ia.) point guard Mike Rodriguez wasn't sure he'd ever hear from division one colleges.

A transplant from Boston, Massachusetts, the point guard struggled with his confidence during the first half of his freshman season at Marshalltown as he failed to put everything together on and off the court. This led to an extended amount of time on the bench and the frustration continued to boil in his gut.

But then it happened.

The 5-foot-11, pounder, relied on guidance from his head coach to work his way back into the forefront. Never was that more evident than when he scored 25 points in the final game of the first half of the season and found his confidence on the floor, which he ultimately used to propel himself to a productive finish to the season in the conference slate.

"I got myself right. I had confidence but I could never put it all together by being a good teammate, being coachable and making the right decisions," he said.

That has only carried over into this season as Rodriguez has averaged 24 points per game and garnered offers from Colorado State, Manhattan, North Carolina Central and Cal State Fullerton.

But then others started to come into the picture including West Virginia, which initially got in touch with his head coach and has since started contact with the junior college point guard led by assistant coach Ron Everhart.

"He started talking to me a lot and he later said that 'we really want you but I have to get you on the phone with coach (Bob) Huggins," he said.

That conversation happened shortly after and Huggins let Rodriguez know that he was impressed with his toughness and his ability to attack the basket off the dribble. West Virginia is set to lose Big 12 Conference Pre-Season Player of the Year Juwan Staten at season's end and while Rodriguez understands that those are very big shoes to fill, hopes that he will have opportunity on the table.

"It's like a dream school playing in the Big 12," he said.

West Virginia was originally set to visit Rodriguez Wednesday but a mix-up in the practice schedule could delay the trip until sometime in the near future.

But West Virginia isn't the only school showing interest as Wichita State also has made contact with Rodriguez and while he currently considers Colorado State his leader admits that he isn't planning to make any decisions until he can make his official visits once his season is complete.

"I feel like I was always as talented but my confidence wasn't there. I backed down from certain people and now I feel like I don't back down from anything," he said.

"I'm surprised with any schools that recruit me right now. Sometimes I don't believe it but it's true," he added.

Rodriguez said that his biggest strengths on the court are his ability to attack the basket in transition, as well as his passing and leadership.

He will have two years of eligibility left and said that if things continue to progress with the Mountaineers that he would like to take an official visit to Morgantown. He plans to base his decision around where he will be able to get minutes on the floor and help make an immediate impact.

"I only have two years left. I have to take advantage of it," he said.