A 31-point deficit stood between the Georgetown women’s basketball team (15-16, 5-11 Big East) and their hopes to advance to the third round of the Big East Women’s Basketball Championship in their 89-58 loss to Villanova (21-9) last Saturday. The rout ended the season for the Hoyas as a tournament record-breaking number of three-pointers from the Wildcats—17—put the game out of reach. The light that never seems to go out for the Blue and Gray, senior guard Sugar Rodgers, gave both Georgetown and women’s college basketball a night for the history books.
In her final game wearing a Georgetown jersey, Rodgers scored a career-high and Big East Women’s Championship record-breaking 42 points. Rodgers has placed her bid as the greatest women’s basketball player in Georgetown program history as she finished her college career with 2,518 total points, the most of any men’s or women’s basketball player to compete at Georgetown.
“[Rodgers] came here and all she had to do was shoot the ball. She shot us right into the tournament,” said Head Coach Keith Brown. “We’ve been in the tournament every year up to this point, and when a program never really had a winning season or never had an opportunity at postseason play, and a kid walks in the door and you go to postseason play every year; it’s hard to put into words. I just think she means everything to the program.”
Her 711 points this season also rank first in Georgetown’s books. The list of accomplishments does not end here, as she holds all of the top four ranks for three-pointers in a season, giving her 346 total—another Georgetown record.
“When a player is identified from Georgetown, the first player they are going to think of is Sugar Rodgers,” said Brown of Rodger’s place in program history.
After the early part of the season was plagued with injuries, Rodgers’s role of shooting guard was combined with the role of distributor as well. Her versatility in the offense and ability to adapt in the face of adversity allowed her to bring a team of freshmen and previously bench players together.
“Sugar understood going into the season what she had to be. She probably knew we wouldn’t win as many games as we won in the past. She knew she had to be a leader, she had to be a teacher, she had to be a big sister, and she had to be an aunt to some of them because we were so young,” Brown said.
With the exit of Rodgers, the focus for the Hoyas has shifted toward preparing a young team for the upcoming season. With six new freshmen committed to Georgetown in what could be considered one of the best recruiting classes in the country, the team will have to adjust to a post-Sugar world.
“I think that we addressed just about all of our needs,” said Brown. “The biggest thing is that we are going to have enough bodies to get back to pressuring the basketball.”
As for Rodgers, her sights will now be set on making a team in the WNBA and possible overseas play in Europe. Brown has no doubts that she will be a quality asset to a professional team and assures that when surrounded by a team of high-level performers, her true talent will be seen.
Looking back on his time with the star, Brown concluded, “Sugar is a great translator. I would say something, and sometimes I can be a tad volatile, she could translate what I was really trying to say. It was great to see Sugar grow. It was fun coaching with Sugar because she thought she was a coach sometimes.”
