JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 17, 2019) -- ETSU men’s basketball head coach Steve Forbes announced on Wednesday that redshirt junior forward Jeromy Rodriguez (Santiago, Dominican Republic) has made the decision to turn professional and forgo his final year of eligibility.

Rodriguez, who missed the entire 2017-18 season due to injury, averaged 11.2 points and 10.9 rebounds in 33 games (32 starts) for the Bucs this past season. The all-Southern Conference member also shot 56 percent from the field (152-274), and totaled 64 assists, 44 steals and 21 blocks for the Blue and Gold.

“This is a bittersweet day for everyone involved in our program,” said Coach Forbes. “Our staff loves Jeromy, he loves his teammates and his teammates love him. Jeromy has represented our program in an exemplary manner both on and off the court.

“Jeromy will receive his degree in a couple of weeks and is 23-years old. He is ready to begin his professional career and we fully support his decision. At the end of the day, we all want what is best for Jeromy and his family. I will now assist him in the process of finding the right agent to help him begin his professional career.”

It wasn’t an easy decision for Rodriguez who has really enjoyed his time in Johnson City.

“I really appreciate everything Coach Forbes and ETSU have done for me,” said Rodriguez, who earned all-Southern Conference and NABC Division I All-District honors this season. “I had a great experience here and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. This decision was extremely tough for me, but this is what I have in my heart. I had the same feeling when I wanted to come here, which is why I came to ETSU and have cherished my time in Johnson City. Turning pro is the best thing for me right now. Thank you, ETSU for everything!”

“We began the discussion of Jeromy turning professional a couple of weeks ago when I was away in Iowa,” said Forbes. “We agreed to talk face-to-face when I returned to campus. I got back to Johnson City a week ago and we had several discussions about his future. After our meeting late yesterday afternoon we came to the consensus that Jeromy would forgot his last year of eligibility to pursue a professional career playing the game he loves.”

Rodriguez registered 15 double-doubles en route to tallying 371 points and 361 rebounds in 2018-19. The Buccaneer junior forward set a new single-season record for offensive rebounds (113), while he finished tied for sixth in total rebounds.

Rodriguez finished the season eighth in the country in total rebounds per game, 13th in offensive rebounds per game (3.42), 18th in defensive rebounds per game (7.52) and 23rd in double-doubles.

For more information on Buccaneer men’s basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men’s basketball page.