Bates Scholarship: Rodriguez's love of learning helps her excel at Chippewa
Education has always been important to Annabel Rodriguez.
It's difficult for it to be any other way. Her father Matt Rodriguez is the principal at Chippewa High School and the mindset of "school before sports" has always been emphasized at home.
She's had plenty of success in both realms over her four years of high school, helping her secure of the eight Roy S. Bates Scholarships and a spot a finalist for the Bates Foundation Player of the Year award.
The Player of the Year will be announced at the Greystone Event Center on May 4. The eight finalists receive a one-time scholarship worth $2,500 from the Bates Foundation, which was founded by legendary former Northwestern coach Roy Bates.
"I feel super blessed even being considered for it," said Rodriguez, who has maintained a 4.27 weighted grade point average in high school. "Every single finalist is an awesome athlete and a super person, so just being able to be in a group with those people is an honor. It's really special."
Rodriguez's success on the basketball court peaked during her senior year, as she helped lead Chippewa to the Division III state championship game, establishing the 2022-23 Chipps as one of the great teams in a program full of success.
"It was an awesome opportunity," Rodriguez said. "It was really exciting, and I feel really thankful that I was able to experience that with the people that I did. It was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing."
Rodriguez was a huge part of Chippewa's success over the past four seasons as a four-year varsity player. She was a three-time first-team All-WCAL selection and enjoyed her best year as a senior, scoring 12.8 points per game and earning third-team All-Ohio honors. She played some of the best basketball of her career at the state level as well, scoring 10 points in the first four minutes of Chippewa's semifinal win over Margaretta and finishing with 19 points in the title game loss.
The 2022-23 school year also brought clarity to Rodriguez's future. In the summer before her senior year, Rodriguez committed to play college basketball at Malone University, joining a program that's fresh off a Div. II NCAA Tournament appearance.
"It's a whole different ballgame, but it's so fun," Rodriguez said of college basketball. "The pace is awesome and just playing a more mature level of basketball (will be) the most awesome experience."
Rodriguez is also excited about her next steps to her education. She plans to major in elementary education in hopes to be a positive influence on the generations to come.
"Academics is always something that's been super important to me, and it's something I've always enjoyed," Rodriguez said. "I love learning. I want to be a teacher. I want to spend time in school and help other people have the same love for learning that I had when I was younger and still have."
The same things that made Rodriguez a finalist for the Bates Foundation Player of the Year — excellent work ethic, character and value for education — will serve her well as she moves into the next phase of life.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Bates Scholarship: Annabel Rodriguez, Chippewa
