Father of Springfield High School player, former South standout help Ohio State team advance in $2M event

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Miller, a former star at Springfield South who moved to Pickerington after high school, met Rodgers when the two were working out in the summer about 10 years ago. Rodgers, a 6-foot-8 forward, is a Columbus native and scored 1,657 points at Northern Illinois in a four-year career.

“We were going at each other, and I recognized his abilities,” Rodgers said before a practice on Thursday at Value City Arena. “Me being one of the guys that’s been around Columbus, I hadn’t seen him before. He introduced himself and our relationship took off after that.”

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The pair have bonded over their shared basketball experiences, which includes long stints overseas. Rodgers has played professionally in eight countries since graduating in 2002, while Miller has played in Israel and South Korea over the last nine years.

Rodgers is the father of Springfield guard JaJuan Rodgers, who is entering his junior year. Rodgers played in Venezuela last winter, but he made sure to watch all of Springfield’s game films online. He also made frequent trips between Venezuela and Ohio to attend some games.

“I have dual citizenship, so I was able to do quite a lot of traveling back-and-forth,” Rodgers said. “I saw probably 40 percent of his games.”

Miller is a big reason why JaJuan Rodgers is at Springfield. Miller has hosted youth camps in Springfield several times, and Rodgers met Springfield coach Isaiah Carson through one of the events.

When JaJuan was struggling as a freshman at Pickerington Central, Rodgers decided it would be best to change schools. His positive opinion of Carson made Springfield the first choice.

“I took a liking to (Carson) and to the grit that Springfield has,” Rodgers said. “My son wasn’t receiving that at Pickerington, and I didn’t like the academic situation as well. He’s being challenged academically at Springfield. They do a great job over there.”

Rodgers and Miller both played key roles in The Scarlett and Gray’s wins last weekend in Peoria, Illinois. Rodgers scored 13 points and had 11 rebounds over the two games, while Miller scored 12 points and had seven rebounds.

“In our first game it was really an adjustment period, but we figured it out quick,” Miller said. “We defended pretty well, and I think if we keep our defense up, that’s going to give us the best chance to win.”

The Scarlett and Gray’s first game in the Super 16 is Saturday at noon against Always a Brave, a team consisting of Bradley University alumni. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.