Rodney Blake (born December 31, 1966) is a retired American professional basketball player. He had a standout college career at Saint Joseph's between 1984 and 1988 before embarking on a career that would take him to the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

as well as leagues in over half a dozen countries. A , 220 lb. (100 kg) center, Blake led NCAA Division I in blocked shots during the 1986–87 season. He still remains one of the top shot blockers for a career in Division I history.

Early life

Blake, originally from

Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania Sharon Hill is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,697 at the 2010 census. Currently the population stands at 6,356 residents. Government The government of Sharon Hill operat ...

, attended Monsignor Bonner High School in

Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania Drexel Hill is a neighborhood and census-designated place (CDP) located in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 29,181 at the 2020 census, an increase over 28,043 in 2010, and accounting for over one-third of Up ...

. He made a reputation for himself playing basketball and was ranked one of the top 50 players in the country by the time he graduated in 1984. He had guided Monsignor Bonner to consecutive Catholic League titles as well. Many colleges recruited him, but Blake stayed at home and chose to attend Saint Joseph's for head coach Jim Boyle. Among other reasons, he chose Saint Joseph's because of the opportunity to get significant playing minutes as a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

College

As he expected, Blake contributed right away for the Hawks, amassing a then-school single season record 95 blocks and being named to the All-

Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. The A-10's member schools are located most ...

Rookie Team. Known for his defense, he also possessed a soft touch around the rim and contributed on the offensive end as well. He guided the Hawks to a second round entry in the 1985 National Invitation Tournament. The following year, Blake broke his own record by recording 121 blocks. He was named to the A-10 Conference and

Philadelphia Big 5 The Philadelphia Big 5, known simply as the "Big 5", is an association of six college athletic programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is not a conference, but rather a group of NCAA Division I basketball schools who compete for the city’ ...

First Teams. Saint Joseph's also qualified for the 1986 NCAA Tournament and advance to the Round of 32. As his college career began to gain momentum, Blake started receiving national recognition, and by the time he was a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

he was named to the preseason John R. Wooden Award watchlist, an honor given to the players in the country who have the most realistic chances as being the national player of the year. In 1987–88, Blake led all of Division I in blocked shots per game. Publications such as ''

Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

'', '' Street & Smith's'' and ''Game Plan'' honored him with

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

status. The

USBWA The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 with the urging of National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball. Scholarships The U ...

and NABC also selected him to their All-District First Teams. At the time of his graduation, Blake's 419 career blocked shots were the most in NCAA history, a mark that has been since surpassed. This total still ranks in the top 25 all-time, however.

Professional and later life

Despite a lauded career at Saint Joseph's, Blake went unselected in the

1988 NBA draft The 1988 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1988, in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds. This was also the first draft for the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, prior to their i ...

. Years later, he recalled how he underestimated the importance of performing well at a pre-draft camp: "Senior year when I went down to pre-draft camp in/nowiki> Orlando, I didn't realize how great an opportunity it was...I didn't understand that I had to 'bring it' because so many NBA scouts were there to evaluate us." Blake got hurt in the second game of the camp and never got to showcase his talent. After individual workouts with the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

and

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

, neither of which resulted in a regular-season contract, he began playing in the

(CBA) with the Charleston Gunners. After a short while he moved to play in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

for three months, then moved to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

to continue playing as an expatriate. When that team went bankrupt, Blake moved back to the United States and re-joined the CBA for the

Wichita Falls Texans The Wichita Falls Texans were a minor league basketball team in the Continental Basketball Association from 1988 to 1994. The team was located in Wichita Falls, Texas, and played their games at D.L. Ligon Coliseum, located on the campus of Midwe ...

. With the Texans, he became a key player in helping to lead the team to the first professional basketball championship in the state of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

' history. Even though the Texans finished second to the Tulsa Fast Breakers in the Western Division during the regular season, they went on a hot streak down the stretch into the playoffs. They defeated the Quad City Thunder, four games to three in a best-of-seven series, to take the 1991 CBA Championship. Uncertain of the CBA's financial situation, Blake headed overseas once again. Over the next nine years, he had stints in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, and for the Chicago Rockers back in the CBA. In 2000, Blake decided to retire from professional basketball after 12 years. He now works as a math teacher in special education at John Bartram School in Philadelphia. He and his wife Shelly have one daughter, Elizabeth.

References

External links

Finnish League profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Rodney 1966 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Argentina American expatriate basketball people in Belgium American expatriate basketball people in Cyprus American expatriate basketball people in Finland American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Switzerland American men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Charleston Gunners players Chicago Rockers players People from Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania Basketball players from Delaware County, Pennsylvania Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball players Wichita Falls Texans players 20th-century American sportsmen

Early life

College

Professional and later life

See also

References

External links