From Findlay Prep to Florida State
<p>SHAWN GUST/Press file North Idaho College’s Braian Angola-Rodas, center, steals the ball from Whatcom Community College’s Deon Thomas in the second half of a game on Dec. 4, 2015.</p>
Braian Angola-Rodas did his best to keep his decision under wraps as long as possible before it was made public on Wednesday afternoon at the center of Rolly Williams Court.
Once that garnet and gold jersey slipped out of his sweatshirt, and he signed on the dotted line, he couldn’t hide it anymore.
He’s a Florida State Seminole.
“I called my mom and texted my brother on Tuesday and kind of decided then,” Angola-Rodas said. “I’m really excited and it’s a big deal to be a part of the Florida State program.”
It wasn’t until Tuesday afternoon that Angola-Rodas was totally sure where he’d wind up after his playing time ran out at North Idaho College.
“I’m really with the happy with the decision I made,” Angola-Rodas said. “It’s a really beautiful campus and there was a lot of schools recruiting me. But, at the end of the day, and after talking with my family and coaches, I made this decision and made it myself.”
Florida State finished 20-14 in 2015-16, coach Leonard Hamilton’s 14th year at the school. The Seminoles advanced to the National Invitational Tournament, losing in the second round to Valparaiso.
ACC schools North Carolina and Syracuse advanced to the Final Four this year, with North Carolina losing in the title game.
“I really like the conference they are in, the climate, and it is close to home,” said Angola-Rodas who grew up in Villanueva, Columbia, before coming west to play at Findlay Prep in Las Vegas. “I just loved it when I went on my visit. It was great.”
Angola-Rodas, a 6-foot-6 sophomore guard, visited the campus in Tallahassee last Saturday, then flew across the country to meet with Washington on Sunday.
“It was tough because you’re there one day, and then flying the next,” Angola-Rodas said. “I had a bunch of meetings with a bunch of different people, but I’m glad I made my decision. I’m happy with where I’m at.”
Duke, Miami, Virginia, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh also advanced to the NCAA Tournament from the ACC this year.
“(NIC coach) Corey (Symons) thinks it’s going to be a great experience for me,” Angola-Rodas said. “He knows the level of play I’m going to be playing at and the level I like to play. And he’s really happy for me, and I love him to death. He’s been one of the most important people to me in this process. And I’m really thankful for him.”
Pac-12 schools Washington, Oregon and Utah, as well as Houston of the American Athletic Conference were among those that Angola-Rodas visited.
“The Pac-12 is a great, great league,” Angola-Rodas said. “That was the difficult part of the decision thinking about Oregon, Washington and Utah. But I’m happy with where I’m at.”
Angola-Rodas was a first-team selection to the NJCAA All-America team, finishing 13th in the nation with 21.4 points per game and was ninth in the nation in total points with 686. He was NIC’s first first-team All-America selection since 2009, and just the third in school history. NIC finished with a 31-2 record this season, and advanced to nationals for the first time since 1997.
“I’d guess he’s the biggest recruit in the history of our school,” said Symons, in his second year as NIC head coach after 10 years as an assistant. “He had 15 offers from Power Five conferences, and he’s got it all. He’s had a lot of decisions and stewing. He’s been doing a lot of thinking and traveling, and we’re really happy for him. Obviously, the ACC is the biggest of the biggest and we’re happy for his success. We’re looking to watching him next year.”
Even if that’s traveling around the United States to do so.
“It’s tough because he’s going the furthest away from us as he possibly can,” Symons said. “But I told him, it’s going to suck because it’s going to cost me a lot of money because my son is his biggest fan and he’s going to want to come and see him play. I’m going to have to get Caden (son) and Madison (daughter) down to Florida State to see a game sometime.”
Angola-Rodas is the fifth Cardinal off this year’s roster to sign with a Division I school, joining Kyle Guice (Illinois-Chicago), BJ Blake (Idaho), Lucas Antunez (Toledo) and Trey Burch-Manning (South Dakota).