Former Red Barons basketball star Rodney Bartholomew has taken great strides since walking across the stage to receive his Associate's Degree from Corning Community College in 2009. After two stellar seasons with CCC that saw him earn such honors as All-MSAC, All-Region III and NJCAA All-American, the Louisianna native accepted a basketball scholarship to Saint Edwards University in Texas. After one semester, Bartholomew transfered to Indiana Tech. He competed at Tech for two seasons and was named the 2011-12 Conference Player of the year and to the 2011-12 All-American team. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in 2012.
After graduation, Bartholomew was drafted by the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder in October of 2012 and assigned to the Tulsa 66'ers of the NBA's D-League (Developmental League). The D-League has some of the top young players in the nation waiting to be pulled up onto NBA rosters. Bartholomew is playing against some of the biggest names in recent college basketball and is teammates with Jeremy Lamb (UCONN), Andy Rautins (Syracuse), Chris Quinn (Notre Dame), Hollis Thompson (Georgetown) and Brady Morningstar (Kansas).
In his rookie season he is averaging 14.5 minutes per game, 5.3 points per game and 4.4 rebounds per contest while shooting 49.5% from the field. His career-high game came against the Erie Bayhawks on January 28 as he scored 16 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in helping the 66'ers to a 105-95 victory. Tulsa is at the halfway point of their 52-game schedule with a 14-12 regular season record.
Some Red Baron faithful, including CCC Director of Athletics Stacy Johnson, were able to catch up to Rodney at the January 28 game at Erie, PA. "Words can not describe how proud I am of Rodney and what he has accomplished. The thing that continues to amaze me is his graciousness and humble attitude. In his CCC days, he was active in the community by going to elementary schools to promote literacy by reading to children and often signing autographs for young fans after games and on the streets. At 6'8, it was difficult to miss him walking in a grocery store in Corning, NY. He always took the time to engage with people that approached him. On campus, he was a model citizen and student. This is a great opportunity that has presented itself to a great person. I couldn't be happier for him or more impressed with the man he has grown to become"
When asked about his days at CCC, Bartholomew had this to say; "it wasn't an easy transition coming from Louisiana to upstate New York. I am very thankful for all the wonderful people at Corning Community College that welcomed me with open arms and gave me an opportunity. Corning was a great place for me to start my career. I received a lot of hands on experience, individual attention and skill development on and off the basketball court. I built relationships there with people that had a big influence on my success and that I still stay in touch with. I would recommend Corning CC to anyone that wants the opportunity to become a better student and a better athlete. Miss Johnson told me that I have a lot of fans at CCC, but the truth is, I am a fan of CCC!"