Coach Rodriguez joined WDFN 1130AM host and Michigan hoops radio voice Matt Shepherd on his ‘Shep, Shave and Shower’ show this morning to chat. Shep started out by describing Rodriguez’s life as “pure hell” the past 72 hours.
- “A whole bunch of the players and the player’s parents call..”
- “It completely blindsided me. “
- “Until you get to know [players], you’ve got to motivate them all the same way.”
- “For the majority [of players], the vast majority, I think it’s worked very, very well.”
- “Last year I think we had 120 guys on the team, there are a handful that maybe didn’t take it as well or whatever, that may have been the case. But to imply there was anything against the rules that was done; we’ve never done that and never will.”
- “Several [coaches] in the Big Ten have called.”
Audio:
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Elsewhere: Today before practice, Rodriguez shared the story about the day former Michigan assistant Don Nehlen told him he would receive a scholarship. The Mountaineers were preparing for a game against Oklahoma (1982?) when Nehlen approached Rodriguez, who was struggling financially at the time. “He walked right up when we were stretching,” Rodriguez recalled. “He said, ‘Why don’t you talk to me after practice, we’re going to give you a scholarship.” Just to ensure the young Rodriguez kept performing, Nehlen applied some boundaries telling him, “It’s just one year, and you’re going to have to keep proving yourself.”
