SWAC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

23. Adrian Rodgers

Rodgers began his own collegiate journey in the A-Sun, starting his career back in 2011 at South Carolina Upstate. After two decent years with those Spartans, this 6’4 combo guard from Atlanta opted to transfer, arriving in the SWAC at Southern. He’d play his final two years of eligibility with the Jaguars, becoming a major weapon in their backcourt, especially at the very end of his run.

In his first season at Southern, Rodgers averaged 13.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, settling in nicely into Roman Banks’ program. His highlight of the season was a 26-point performance in a surprising close road loss against Baylor right before Christmas. As a senior, Rodgers was even better, putting up nearly 17 points a game and leading the Jaguars to the SWAC Tournament title. He’d end his career with a 14-point outing in a loss to Holy Cross in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

He definitely earned a pair of All-SWAC honors for his involvement in Southern’s success, with the First Team nod as a senior. Rodgers was a great addition to the Jaguars and led the SWAC in points and field goals in his final season. Offensively, he was a major part of the Jaguars’ great season and his defensive play was pretty solid as well.