By Joe Budzelek
In just 40 seconds, his five points with six minutes remaining helped pad the Blue Devils’ lead from three to eight in a win at Rutgers.
With nine seconds left in regulation, his three-pointer forced overtime against archrival Sacred Heart, but the ultimate dagger came in the extra period, when a broken play drawn up for Darin Smith Jr. forced Central Connecticut State senior Jay Rodgers to improvise and fire a pinpoint pass to a streaking Max Frazier, whose dunk with two seconds remaining secured the Blue Devils’ 108–106 overtime victory on Monday night.
“He’s a grown man,” says Central Connecticut State head coach Patrick Sellers of Rodgers. “Jay is so smart and has such a high IQ. He was able to read Max’s cut to the hoop, and he makes those passes when guys don’t expect it. He’ll throw that late-window assist, and it just hits.”
For Jay Rodgers, moments like these were taken from him for what felt like an eternity, as lower-body injuries kept him off the floor for a 23-month stretch that ended just three weeks ago.
When Rodgers was last healthy, Patrick Sellers was still in the midst of rebuilding a program he has since revitalized into one of the NEC’s most consistently solid contenders. During that time, Rodgers could only watch from the sideline as the Blue Devils posted a 27–5 regular-season conference record and played in front of a past-capacity Detrick Gymnasium during March’s title game.
“Jay Rodgers — I’m so happy for that guy,” Sellers said after Monday’s win. “Think about what he’s been through: an ACL, a torn labrum. He had to sit and watch 52 games from the bench. He had to watch two good teams that he wanted to be a part of, and now to see him come out and shine like that… I’m just so happy for him.”
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| Jay Rodgers rises up for a jumper in CCSU's season opener against NVU Johnson, marking Rodgers' return to the court following a twenty-three month recovery from major knee surgeries. (Photo credit: Steve McLaughlin) |
Just hours before his Monday-night heroics, Rodgers was named NEC Player of the Week — the first of his career — after his 15-point, 9-assist performance against Rutgers, where the veteran point guard sparked an early 13–0 first-half run that included back-to-back threes and a pair of assists that stretched CCSU’s lead to nine.
What makes Rodgers’ performance even more remarkable is that he has not just exceeded preseason expectations — he wasn’t even projected as a starter on my CCSU preview — but he has done so while stepping in as the team’s starting point guard after previously serving in an off-ball, floor-spacing role in his first full season at Central, and even during his freshman year at New Orleans, where he did not record a single assist in eleven games off the bench.
This year, Rodgers’ 48.3% assist rate ranks third in the nation, per KenPom.com, while he is also knocking down threes at a 42% clip.
While Rodgers has always been a steady contributor in Hard Hittin’ New Britain, the time he spent recovering from injury helped him reflect and reimagine what his role could be once he returned to full strength.
“I’ve always felt I had the ability to play both the one and the two,” Rodgers says. “With our personnel this year, I’m able to be on the ball more, lead the team, and settle us down when needed.”
“The coaching staff and players have helped get me back to where I am now. The coaches didn’t rush me, and they let me take days or reps off during the summer and preseason whenever I needed to let my body adjust to being back on the court. The season is long, and Coach Sellers understands that — he wants us healthy when it matters most. Sitting out for two years also helped me see the game differently; everything has slowed down for me, and I’m able to make better decisions on the court.”
Rodgers’ on-ball poise and vision set the tone for this year’s balanced squad, complemented by Darin Smith Jr.’s scoring bursts, Max Frazier’s two-way inside steadyness, Melo Sanchez’s reliable floor-spacing, and James Jones’ glue-guy presence.
There were question marks entering the season — Rodgers’ impact among them — but the Blue Devils are now firmly in the NEC’s top tier alongside LIU, making their two conference matchups must-watch TV.
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