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Rodney Green isn’t just another Philadelphia Public League athlete to earn a Division I basketball scholarship; he’s the first Philadelphia charter school student-athlete to get a Division I scholarship.
As a junior, the 6-foot-5 Green led Prep Charter, 1928 Point Breeze Ave., with 14.8 points per game and put up even stronger numbers in the playoffs.
Drexel and George Washington were both strong contenders to acquire his skills, but earlier this month, the 17-year-old from 55th Street and Chester Avenue accepted a Division I scholarship to La Salle University.
He has played Amateur Athletic Union basketball with two current Explorers, sophomore point guard Richard "Tabby" Cunningham and freshman forward Marshall Taylor, both of whom are former Philadelphia Catholic League standouts and South Philadelphia residents.
"I already played with Tabby and Marshall so I fit right in," said Green, who plans to major in business. "I just felt right at La Salle. I like their head coach [Dr. John Giannini]."
Rider, St. Joseph’s, Virginia Tech and Central Connecticut State were some of the other Division I programs that had recruited Green. In early September, he made an official visit to La Salle to get better acquainted with the program.
Prep Charter coach Dan Brinkley said La Salle is a good fit for the athlete.
"[La Salle] wants to have more of an up-tempo style and that’s Rodney’s strong suit," Brinkley said.
La Salle is getting a player accustomed to stepping up in big games. In last season’s Public League semifinal win over Engineering & Science, Green led the Huskies with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists. It was a historic win for Prep Charter, which became the first charter school in Philadelphia Public League history to play for a championship in any sport. They ended up losing, 52-46, to the Central Lancers.
Now that Prep Charter has made its mark on the basketball court, college coaches are starting to take note of its talent. Virginia, Arizona, Syracuse and University of North Carolina-Greensboro are some of the schools recruiting Prep Charter players. Several players visited Syracuse in July to showcase their skills for the college coaches.
"It’s making the guys work harder because they realize getting a Division I scholarship is possible," Brinkley said.
And they’ll be able to ask Green for pointers about the process.
"I’ll tell them to go somewhere that you’ll get a chance to play, and listen to the coach," Green said.
