The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Rodrigo leads Women's Basketball with quiet toughness
03.17.2016 | Women's Basketball
Point guard Celina Rodrigo paces the Longhorns to their highest postseason seeding since 2004 as Texas hosts Alabama State in NCAA first round play Saturday.
As basketball teams enter the part of the year that culminates with "one shining moment," there comes the temptation to identify defining moments, both for teams and the individuals that build them. If a season is indeed a lifetime, it's difficult, if not inappropriate, to boil everything down to a fleeting pass, scrappy practice or emotional locker room conversation.
And if you're Texas Women's Basketball point guard Celina Rodrigo in particular, then it's basically impossible. The senior from Georgia grinds through each day believing herself only to be as good as the next play.
Progress comes from looking forward, not behind, and yet progress might just be the word to define women's basketball under Rodrigo's leadership as a four-year starter.
The second-seeded Longhorns enter the NCAA Women's Basketball tournament with their highest seed since 2004, after finishing second in the Big 12 regular season race and playing for a conference tournament title for the second-straight year.
Rodrigo signed with Texas in the summer of 2012, just months after head coach Karen Aston arrived on the Forty Acres to revive a program that had managed one NCAA postseason victory since 2005. At the time, the Longhorns were without a point guard, and Aston calls Rodrigo's late commitment to Texas "a gift, a huge gift."
"I knew she was what we needed here. Someone who would just go to work every day," Aston says. "What I didn't know was how tough she was. I say that wholeheartedly because of how hard I was on her."
In Rodrigo, Aston found all the qualities of a standout point guard. She has the handle to drive, the court vision to pass and the range to hit deep shots. And day-to-day, despite what academic or personal stressors might be weighing on her, Rodrigo is steady and dependable. She's durable.
What Rodrigo is not is loud, and that sometimes didn't sit too well with a head coach who loves a fiery point guard, who was constantly imploring Rodrigo to lead the team with vigor and emotion.
"As quiet as she is, she leads by example," explains associate head coach Travis Mays.
Rodrigo might offer a fist pump after a pass leads to a bucket or a smile after a big win, but loud words or harsh, direct tones are not in her playbook. During her career with the Longhorns, Rodrigo was forced to refine the qualities she did have – that steady, quiet leadership – without getting beaten down by what she lacked.
As she leaned on her faith and work ethic, Mays frequently reminded Rodrigo of her value. She was the glue holding things together on a team that was learning how to relate to each other, how to battle and ultimately how to win.
Rodrigo knew that to grow and become she had to understand what she didn't do well. She is constantly peppering Mays with questions. "How can I fix my shot?" "What can I do better in this situation?"
"Players who ask questions don't mind being held accountable because they want to get better," Mays says. "Celina is the poster child for someone maximizing her opportunity."
The Longhorns were picked to host first- and second-round games at the Frank Erwin Center as one of the top 16 teams in the country. Their first-round game against Alabama State on Saturday serves as a symbol of the team's evolution in the past four years, which is due in no small part to the investment Rodrigo makes each and every day. She was all in from the moment she committed to Texas, when she gave her word that she would lead this team to national attention.
"To have her come in here, with things the way they were and the uncertainty in our program, and then get thrown to the wolves in every capacity … no matter how dark it got for her sometimes, she never quit," Aston says.
Rodrigo, as you might expect, doesn't have much to say as she nears the end of her Texas career. She remains true to herself, as always.
"I love Texas. I'm just glad I made the decision to come here," Rodrigo says.
