Jonathan Rodriguez arrived at Campbell from Puerto Rico, by way of Miami, in the fall of 2006 and by the time he graduated four years later was the first player in Fighting Camel history to score 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds in a career.
 
A first-team all-state performer and state champion at Calusa Prep in Miami – "J-Rod" took a chance on a Campbell program that was in a building phase – literally and figuratively.
 
After playing on the Miami Tropics AAU team that sent six players to the Division I ranks, Rodriguez moved to Buies Creek and tiny Carter Gym – capacity 947 – to be a key figure in Coach Robbie Laing's fast-paced attack.
 
He played his first two years in tiny Carter Gym then his last two in Gore Arena as he helped a team go from a winless league record two years before his arrival to a conference regular season title in his senior year.
 
J-Rod was a Mid-Major Freshman All-American and four-time All-Conference performer who at the time of his graduation was one of only 101 players in Division I history to reach the 2000-point, 1000-rebound mark.
 
From there, he embarked on a professional career that has taken him all over the globe and earned a place on the Puerto Rican National team.
 
It's no surprise that J-Rod was inducted this year into the Campbell Athletics Hall of Fame.
 
In the next episode of Tales from the Creek, Jonathan Rodriguez chats with Stan Cole about moving to the States as a high school student, his path to Campbell, his professional career, and more.
 
Suggestions for future Tales from the Creek interview subjects are always welcome and may be sent to Stan Cole at cole@campbell.edu.