Rhodes Chooses West Virginia Tech!
It was a career that left fans in awe. Oregon-Davis Senior Mercedes Rhodes put on performance after performance during her high school basketball career, that made people shake their heads in astonishment. Her high school career ended with a total of 1,933 career points, which is the most individual points scored in a career for any Oregon-Davis basketball player, regardless of gender. The great news for basketball fans, the phenomenal play of Rhodes is not yet over!
On Tuesday afternoon, Rhodes signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her basketball career at West Virginia University Tech. With second year Head Coach Anna Kowalska in attendance, Rhodes was all smiles as she put pen to paper, making her college decision official. With many different colleges salivating over the high school career of the Lady Bobcat, it would be the conversations Rhodes had with Kowalska that made her decision a confident one.
“Coach FaceTimed me late at night and we talked for a good hour” Rhodes said. “It was just a really good impression. I liked everything she was talking about and I could see myself playing there”.
The transition from high school to college should not be too much of a change for Rhodes, as the Lady Golden Bears have a similar style in basketball as their four-legged counterparts from Starke County.
“It’s similar to how we did it here at Oregon-Davis, so I feel like I will be able to adjust easier. It’s just a good fit”.
The challenges of college will not end for Rhodes when she walks off the court, as she has great scholastic aspirations as well! In her time at West Virginia Tech, Rhodes plans on studying Pharmacy, with big goals after she wraps up her time at WVUT.
“I plan on studying Pharmacy, then after I get my degree I’ll go to Grad School” Rhodes said with a chuckle, “So I still have a good six or seven years”.
Having spent her high school career around the very well-known Minix family at Oregon-Davis, who had multiple family members play at the collegiate level, Mercedes has been able to get some great advice about what it will take for her to be successful in college.
“I talked to Lexi a little bit. She said it’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of practicing, and you just have to have good time management.”
Being one of the most successful basketball players the Kankakee Valley Area has ever seen, Mercedes had some simple, yet weighty advice for the younger athletes of the Kankakee Valley.
“Put the work in, in high school!”
Mercedes’ Career Statistics (Provided by Terry Minix)
Points: 1,933 (#1 At Oregon-Davis)
FG%: 46%
3pt%: 39.2%
FT%: 70.8%
Rebounds: 811
Steals: 188
Assists: 312
Blocks: 59
Jr All-Star 2020; Small School All-State 2020 & 2021
