ORLAND, Calif. -- He's a center on the court, but makes academics the center of his life. Which is why Joshua Rodrigues is this week's Subway Scholar Athlete.
Rodrigues dabbled in the dribble at a young age and by sixth grade he grew into it.
"It became more clear to me that I like this sport and I should do a little more of it," said Rodrigues. "I was not only staying in shape, but it was also fun to play in."
The 6'1 center says he was made for the position.
"I was taller and much bigger than most of the kids at school and that's just where they put me," said Rodrigues. "That’s where I learned."
Rodrigues plays basketball for Orland high school and plans to play baseball in the spring.
The junior is also a standout student that averages a 3.8 GPA. He does this all while balancing practices and a fourteen hour work week.
“It’s a lot of time. It takes a lot of time to try and fit in the things you do, but if you micro manage a good amount of it at school like homework and what not, you have a lot of free time to do things at home.”
Rodrigues wants to be a future engineer.
"Overall it’s pretty self-explanatory, just do the work, do it good and learn."
The Trojan plans to learn more at a four-year college. He hopes to attend CSU Long Beach.