Having already been named Big East Player of the Week three times this season, Georgetown guard Sugar Rodgers has a new accomplishment to add to her 2011-2012 cannon—being one of the Wooden Midseason Top 20 for the second time in her college career. This list, which includes five players from the Big East, is a lead-up to the Wooden Award for the nation’s best player. But even with the increased pressure that this honor has caused, Rodgers isn’t letting the expectations change her mentality.
“I’m just gonna be Sugar all the time,” she said.
Rodgers, a junior from Suffolk, Va., has hugely impacted the team since she joined the program in 2009. After a standout high school career, she was recruited to help rebuild head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy’s program.
Despite leading the Hoyas to the Sweet Sixteen last season, Williams-Flournoy wasn’t satisfied with Sugar’s preseason awards at the start of the 2011-2012 season.
“She’s only been nominated for everything,” the veteran head coach said. “She has not made anything. The only thing she’s won is Big East Rookie of the Year and Big East First Team. But those aren’t the kind of accolades that get you out there recognized nationally. She needs to start making national recognition.”
Her leadership and scoring ability in the first two seasons may have launched the Hoyas to national attention, but also bore the consequence of bringing her into the limelight. But the spotlight isn’t necessarily bad for the Hoyas. Rodgers has still been able to average 19.9 points per game, and has helped the women keep conference hopes alive at 17-5.
The junior’s contributions to the team are innumerable, and seemingly will continue to be for the remainder of this year and an inevitably historic senior season. While Williams-Flournoy may say that she hasn’t actually won anything of note yet, Sugar’s accolades won’t stop flowing in anytime soon.
