JORDAN RODRIGUEZ-HILLDALE

One of the mottos is athletics at any level is “next man up” meaning when you lose players above you, be ready to step up and make a difference. And the next man up for the Hilldale Hornets basketball team this year is senior Jordan Rodriguez (5-11), a VYPE TOP 100 choice for 2025.

“Jordan has been a part of Hilldale basketball since middle school,” said head coach Hunter Harrison. “He’s a kid with a high motor that flies around defensively and does anything you ask of him. We graduated eight seniors last year so Jordan is a guy that will have to lead us this year and carry us in ways he hasn’t had to before. But I think he’ll handle that confidently as he’s becoming more vocal and uplifting as a leader.”

Jordan started playing basketball around fifth grade when he just picked up a basketball one day and decided he wanted to play. He played football off and on growing up but gave that up to concentrate on basketball.

“Knowing the challenges we would be facing this year, I worked during the summer to prepare myself mentally and physically to be ready to become the team leader,” said Jordan. “I think a good leader is someone who holds people accountable while being able to pick them up when they need it and praise them when the deserve it. I think holding people accountable when they mess up is one of my strong points, but also to praise them when they need it.”

Jordan thinks back to last year to find a highlight for his Hilldale career so far.

“We played Catoosa last year and they were highly ranked, and we were big underdogs, but we won and I had 15 points in that game,” Rodriguez said.

Jordan is versatile enough to play a lot of positions and though he normally plays shooting guard where he averaged five points a game last year, he can also step in to play point guard if needed. Wearing the number one on his jersey is a sign of his dedication to the game.

“Wearing number one is significant to me because I always want to be the best and be number one in anything I do.”