Brianna Rodriguez has a difficult decision to make every time she touches the basketball – although difficult might not be the best choice of words since there really is no wrong decision, only maybe a slightly better decision at the time (but that’s a little wordy).
As the starting point guard on the Dexter girls’ basketball team, it’s up to Rodriguez to make the pass that gets the ball into the right hands at the right time to produce the right results.
The good news is she has plenty of “good hands” to choose from.
Let’s break it down: Dexter gets the rebound and the ball is delivered to Rodriguez, a very special player in her own right. The senior heads up court and considers her many options. There is senior Sydney Pnacek – who might not only be the best player on the floor, but the best player in the league – to her right. Fellow senior Maddie Valentine and junior Chloe Perry, who can both knock down a shot from anywhere on the court, are sprinting up the floor on her left. Then we have freshman Alena Blumberg, who despite her youth more than holds her own on a basketball court, is sprinting up ahead down the center. And don’t forget the option of keeping the ball – Rodriguez not only is an excellent passer but she can score with the best of them.
Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.
Well, let’s let Rodriguez make the decision, since she has done an impeccable job so far in her career.
“I see myself as someone who is responsible for setting the offense and making sure I take charge if someone is in the wrong spot or doesn’t know what to do,” she says. “It definitely can be challenging sometimes to decide when to pass and when to shoot. But this year I have just been trying to take what the defense is giving me and react off of that.”
And with all those talented players around her on the floor, there really is no bad option.
Rodriguez has run the point on a very successful season. The Dreadnaughts open Districts on Wednesday against South Lyon after finishing the regular season with an 18-2 record and an SEC Red Division title. While they’ve accomplished all of their goals so far – beating Saline and Chelsea and winning a league title – there is more work to be done. In fact, Districts feels like a beginning, not an ending.
“I think we have played so well this season because we have a lot of experience on our team and we have girls that have played with each other for many years so we have great chemistry,” says Rodriguez. “We know each other’s style of play and each other’s mental aspects, too.”
Rodriguez says that if someone is down, they know how to pick them up and move on to the next play or game or challenge.
“We have called this a goldfish mentality this year,” she says. “If you make a mistake, you forget about it just like a goldfish would as they can barely remember anything and move on to the next play. I think that has helped us a lot.”
But this year is special. The players know it. The parents know it. And the fans and supporters can clearly see it.
“Yeah, this year’s team is special,” says Rodriguez. “We have all the right components to succeed. Our regular season has gone very well and I’m hoping to continue our momentum and success as we make a run in tournament play.
“The basketball team at Dexter is truly family as we see each other seven days a week and have team meals together before every game. The memories we make and are making are something you will never forget about.”
Rodriguez is clearly the floor leader on a team that features several players who can also handle the ball and are excellent passers as well as shooters. And they ALL play aggressive and team defense – one of Dexter’s staples.
“I think I’ve played pretty well this year trying to take on more of a leadership role and being there for my teammates when they need me,” says Rodriguez, who certainly has played pretty well this year. Heading into the postseason, the senior is averaging 10 points, three steals and three assists and is shooting 83 percent from the free-throw line – having the player who handles the ball the most being able to knock down free throws is a nice little bonus.
Rodriguez first started dribbling a basketball at a young age – thanks to her older brothers.
“I always looked up to my two older brothers who used to play basketball at Dexter and wanted to be like them,” she says. “I started playing when I was 5 and fell in love with the game and met some of my best friends through the game. What I like about basketball is it’s an up-tempo sport where something is always happening. I also like how intense the games get as I am a big competitor.”
Her competitive side is easy to see as soon as she steps on the basketball court.
Rodriguez started on the JV team as a freshman but was called up to varsity midway through the season. While she didn’t get much playing time that first season, her sophomore year was a different story.
“We had a lot of talented girls, basically a full team of potential starters,” said Rodriguez, who was All-League Honorable Mention and Scholar-Athlete that second season. “I got to start some games and then come off of the bench sometimes. I just tried to make the most of the time I got and make an impact when I got to go in.”
Her junior year was a challenging one. She started the first five games for the Dreadnaughts before tearing a ligament in her ankle. She was expected to miss up to eight weeks but that competitiveness and drive would have none of that and she was back on the floor in three.
“I was able to come back for the last regular-season game and the start of Districts but I wasn’t as explosive as I was before and was still trying to get back into the full swing of it,” she says.
Brianna, 18, is the daughter of Christa and Julio Rodriguez. She also has game in the classroom (she has a 3.6 GPA) and on the pitch (she is an excellent soccer player and has been a starter for the Dreadnaughts since her freshman year).
Rodriguez has some options when it comes to her future. Basketball? Soccer?
“I haven’t picked a school yet and I am still 50/50 on whether I want to continue my basketball career,” she says. “But I do have some schools interested in me which is nice because it gives me an option on what I really want to do. I also want to study nursing but I’m not set on which area yet.”
All that can wait for now. Her focus is clearly on the basketball court and that potentially long postseason run begins on Wednesday on her home court.
“The highlight this year so far was definitely winning the SEC Red because we were seen as the underdogs,” she says. “Since it was our first season in the SEC Red many didn’t think we belonged and looked past us but we were able to go undefeated and I think it really made a statement to everyone. Now we want to win Districts.”
Girls Basketball: Districts tip off this week as Dexter begins playoff run Wednesday
