04 February 2011

Who is Erick Rodriguez?

Erick Rodriguez
Many Meralco Bolts fans welcomed the addition of marquee player Sol Mercado in their line-up by trading Reed Juntilla and a future first round pick. However, that trade also brought Paolo Bugia from Rain or Shine and Eric Rodriguez from Air21 into their roster.

Between those three, Rodriguez is the least familiar among Bolts followers. Many even thought he was the former PMI stalwart and Rain or Shine player, Larry Rodriguez. Well, maybe it is time to find out if this other Rodriguez has what it takes to help the Bolts reach the PBA Finals for the first.

Frederick "Erick" Rodriguez is a former player of the Letran Knights and Toyota Balintawak in the Philippine Basketball League. Rodriguez played in Letran for four years and helped them to win the championship in 2003 and 2005. He was then selected to represent the country with the RP-Harbour Centre in the SEABA Championship in Indonesia.

Rodriguez also played in the Southeast Asian Games in Nakhon, Ratchasima in Thailand on December 2007. During the 2006 PBA Draft, he went undrafted. He was then signed by the Burger King Whoppers as a free agent in 2009 and later absorbed by the Express.

After a decent rookie season, this former Letran forward hardly played last season after Air21 got a couple of quality big men via trade and draft that pushed him deeper in the rotation. Rodriguez played just 10 games in 2009-10 and averaged 1.8 points per game, quite below his 7.0 ppg the previous year. But his willingness to do the dirty work guarantees him a spot on the Express bench.

Some experts label him as an underrated power forward that remains effective down under due to his defensive stability and soft touch to the basket. He is a known solid defender at the post even against a tall front line. Also, he is a good passer and loves to play in an open court.

1 comment:

  1. I know this person erick rodriguez, he is a very kind humble guy. I remember the time he and his wife was my accompany to the luneta park during the visit of pope Francis.

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