Male Athlete of the Week
After playing a pivotal role as the sixth-man last year, Ida Baker’s Gabe Rodriguez has provided a spark as a senior starter.
The 5-foot-11 guard has led the Bulldogs, at times, with his long-range shooting, but on nights when the shooting touch hasn’t been there, he’s made an impact with his all-out hustle.
It was a mixture of both during last week’s District 5A-15 Tournament.
“He’s the type of kid that it doesn’t matter what goes on in a game,” Bulldogs coach Greg Coleman said. “He goes hard so even when he’s not shooting the ball well, he’s going to get points inside and rebounds.”
Rodriguez had the hot hand in the Bulldogs’ 78-54 win over North in the district quarterfinals, scoring 14 of his 18 points in the first quarter.
He added 15 points in the Bulldogs’ 50-41 win over Gulf Coast in the semifinals and 17 points in a loss to Fort Myers in the district championship.
Despite struggling with his shot against Gulf Coast, Rodriguez’s defensive intensity and ability to force turnovers out of the 1-3-1 trap, helped the Bulldogs rally in the second half for the win.
“He’s not that tall, but he’s lengthy,” Coleman said. “He can run back and forth for 45 seconds to a minute straight and as soon as you make a mistake, there he is with a steal.”
Rod-riguez, who was born in Lancaster, Pa., has lived in Cape Coral most of his life. He’s played varsity basketball for the Bulldogs the past three years.
As a junior, he consistently gave the team a change of pace as the first man off the bench. This season, he’s made bigger contributions as a starter playing alongside experienced seniors like John Skinner, Zach Campbell and Xavier Battle.
Rodriguez averages close to 12 points per game for the Bulldogs, who travel to Oakland Park Northeast for their inaugural regional quarterfinal game Thursday night.
Honorable mention:
Etienne Effenberg, senior, Bishop Verot basketball: Effenberg (6-foot-6) scored 20 points and converted the game-winning three-point play in the Vikings’ 53-51 win over Dunbar in the District 3A-12 Championship Game.
Caio Amaral, freshman, Cape Coral soccer: Headed in a corner kick, the only goal of the match, in the Seahawks’ 1-0 victory over Oakland Park Northeast in a Region 5A-4 semifinals game last Tuesday.
Austin Luby, Cape Coral Blackhawks rugby: Luby scored three trys in the Blackhawks’ 60-0 rout of Sarasota. He has scored in all four matches this season.