Rodney Elliott  ’13 wins Rookie  of the Year

Rodney Elliott Jr., class of ’13, scored the title Rookie of the Year for men’s basketball in the America East Conference in a “unanimous vote by the league’s head coaches,” according to a Baltimore Sun article.

Elliott attends the University of Maryland Baltimore County and was the first student there in 11 league seasons to win the award for the men’s basketball team. Elliott plays point guard for the team and was the lead freshman scorer of the league, with an average of 14.9 points per game. Elliott was Rookie of the Week five times during the season.

Elliott has played basketball since he was four years old, and he attended JC for all four years of high school, where he was coached by outreach coordinator Tony Martin. Elliott was recruited by UMBC and earned a full athletic scholarship for his abilities.

The Patriot covered Elliott during his senior year.

Elliott grew up around basketball since his father, Rodney Elliott Sr., played at the University of Maryland and professionally.

According to Martin, “Rodney is a versatile player who understands both how to lead as well as be a part of something bigger than himself.”

Erica Kelble is a Multimedia Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Golf swings into  season

The golf season began Feb. 18. The co-ed team consists of 15 players, although there are enough players for two teams.

“Unfortunately we lost one of our players,” coach Tony Del Puppo said. “[Sophomore Daniel Bonsack] broke his leg playing soccer.”

As with other sports, the weather has had an adverse effect on the team’s practice time. “We’ve only had four practices,” Del Puppo said. “One match [has been] cancelled.”

According to sophomore golfer Preston Thomson, “We can’t practice [at Maryland Golf and Country Club when it rains] like we usually would because [we] could mess up the green.”

“I’m excited for the golf team this year,” freshman golfer William Molali said. “We have some really good players.”

Del Puppo is “interested in [the progress of sophomore] Taylor Mezzatesta.” Mezzatesta consistently scores under 90 strokes and has potential to score under 80, according to Del Puppo.

“This is our first year in the B conference. This is the best the team has been in several years,” Del Puppo said. “I have high hopes that we will be a contender for the championship.”

Angela DeCarlo is a Copy Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.