With predictions as the norm in the sports world these days, Mississippi State forward Charles Rhodes donned psychic apparel and looked into the crystal ball.”My prediction is that we’re going to make the NCAA Tournament,” Rhodes said.
Not content to stop there, the outspoken Bulldog senior confidently named the specifics of the tournament trip.
“My prediction is that we’re going to the NCAA and meet North Carolina in the Sweet 16,” he said. “And we’re definitely going to win.”
Admittedly, there is still a lot of basketball left to be played for Mississippi State this season, including three difficult road games against teams who either are currently ranked in the polls or have been ranked in the polls earlier this season (Ole Miss, Florida and Vanderbilt) and a pivotal battle at Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
And of course, it is a bit early to begin speaking of postseason play when there are a total of seven games remaining in the regular season.
Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury always stresses that his team’s next game is its most important game.
But with all of that in mind, why shouldn’t Rhodes feel confident with his prophecy?
The team on which he serves as a leader has already been through its ups and downs this season.
The ups are easy to point out. The Bulldog squad reeled off a nine-game winning streak, which encompassed the final four non-conference games and led to a 5-0 start in conference action.
The downs that the team experienced included early-season games when it had problems holding onto leads late in games and led to many critics questioning whether the team had what it took to salvage the season into a good one.Some critics even questioned Rhodes’ abilities to play, as well as the senior’s ability to display leadership on a relatively young Mississippi State roster.
Rhodes has silenced those critics thus far this season by averaging 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest, including seven games in which he finished with double-digit numbers in both categories.
Though the season isn’t complete, both of those numbers would combine to make a career year for the Jackson native.
“I don’t listen to critics,” Rhodes said. “I’ve never been a guy that listens to those people who talk down on me. Anytime somebody talks bad about me, I rise to the top.”
Rhodes’ ascension to the top has even occurred despite an aggravation of an ankle injury he received while working out for scouts when he was testing the waters of the NBA draft.
Rhodes said he twisted his left ankle during those workouts. The injury reared its ugly head once again when he tweaked it during a team practice leading up to the Dec. 30 game against Missouri.
He sat out of the Missouri contest and the two games following it. Rhodes rejoined the team in its SEC home opener against Georgia. He said the ankle bothered him during the game. It’s an injury he still feels, but he is determined to play through the pain.
“I’m playing through it because I love this game and this team,” Rhodes said. “I can easily get surgery right now and think about myself and sit out the whole season, but I’m not doing that. I’m doing this for my team because I want to win, and I’m going to do whatever it takes for that to happen.”
Stansbury said that although Rhodes has the ankle injury, it shouldn’t be blamed for anything that Rhodes does wrong in any games.
“He’s got some swelling and it will be that way for the rest of his career here,” the tenth-year head coach said after the team’s Feb. 6 victory over Alabama. “But that’s no excuse for anything he doesn’t do good or bad.”
It’s not that there have been many negative aspects to Rhodes’ gameplay. Rhodes has put up solid numbers since his return to the court after he sat out during those three games due to his ankle injury. He has averaged 13.4 points and 7.5 rebounds since that point.
The frontcourt player has been an example of consistency during the team’s SEC games. He fell only one rebound shy in last week’s game against Alabama of notching a double-double in his third consecutive game.
“Charles is playing better and more consistent,” Stansbury said after the game against the Crimson Tide. “That’s what we need from him.”
That consistency has also been noticed and appreciated by his teammates.
“Charles’ consistency is great for him and the team,” sophomore guard Barry Stewart said. “He has been producing for us lately, and that’s what we have needed.”
The Bulldogs will need the dependable senior’s productivity in order to fulfill his lofty prediction of making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. Rhodes’ prediction was also one of his goals from the start of the season.
“My main focus before the season started was to get this team together to go to the NCAA Tournament,” he said.
Rhodes has only been to the tournament one time during his Mississippi State career. He was a freshman reserve on the 2005 squad, which was ousted by Duke in the second round.
The sour taste from the loss hasn’t left his mouth, and he said he will make it a point to lead the team to the tournament for the fans.
“I’ve never been on that stage as a starter, so I’m going to try my best and push this team as much as I can,” Rhodes said. “I’m going to do this for the fans and the city of Starkville because these fans deserve it.