SLIP AND BALL

Rodriguez still bitter about injury, but ready to give it his all for Hall

At the time he suffered his left ankle injury, and for several days afterward, Desi Rodriguez thought his Seton Hall career was over. That he would have to watch the rest of his senior season from the sideline. That his March would be full of regret. It was a helpless feeling. “I was depressed,” the Bronx native said Monday after practice. “I was angry and sad at the same time. That day, [almost] three weeks ago, I didn’t think I was going to be back on the floor [this year].” The 6-foot-6 Rodriguez, Seton Hall’s leading scorer, suffered the injury against Providence on Feb. 21, slipping on the wet Dunkin Donuts Center court, and missed the next three games. With unseasonably warm temperatures in Rhode Island that day, there was condensation on the court due to the ice rink underneath. The game would end up being postponed in the second half until the next day for safety reasons. “I was real upset, [it was] a lack of safety,” Rodriguez said, as eighthseeded Set on Hall prepared to face No. 9 N.C. State in a Midwest Region first-round game Thursday afternoon in Wichita, Kan. “The floor was wet before the game. I don’t know why they would let us play on that floor. I was slipping the whole game. Other people fell, and I just got the worst of it.”

The 1,000-point scorer had turned his ankle before, but never like this. It was the f irst signif icant injury of his career, and the pain was so much, he wondered if this was it. He damaged the tendon connecting his foot to his ankle and suffered a bone bruise.

Fortunately, it wouldn’t be the end of his career. Encouraged by his teammates to not lose hope, Rodriguez got treatment every day, and slowly began to feel better. He returned in Thursday’s Big East Tournament quarterf inal loss to Butler at the Garden, practiced Sunday and Monday, and believes he’s 70-80 percent now.

“He looks way better than he was last week,” teammate and fellow senior Khadeen Carrington said.

Coach Kevin Willard said if Rodriguez feels well enough, he’ll start against N.C. State. Against Butler, Rodriguez came off the bench and scored eight points in 17 minutes, but lacked his usual explosion and wasn’t on the floor down the stretch. He was testing the ankle, seeing how much it would allow him to do.

“I was trying to see if I can move as much as I used to on the court, see where it was going to hurt me, see which way I moved if it was going to hurt me more,” he said. “I’m just trying to f ind my game playing hurt.

“I think adrenaline will help me during the game, and I probably won’t feel it too much in the game.” The Pirates need his 17.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Rodriguez is their best one-on-one player, a skilled wing who shoots 37.9 percent from 3-point land and can finish in the paint. He won’t be at 100 percent, but he’s getting closer.

“I can make a big difference,” Rodriguez said. “I’m really motivated, knowing we have only one more guaranteed game left in our career. I want to give it my all. I’m going to make the best out of how many minutes coach gives me.

“I’m going to play my best, my hardest, to try to get us a win.”