Rodriguez brothers build a legacy at Legacy Charter | Observer Preps

When you talk to athletes about the most important aspects of their game, they often mention those around them.

They speak of the “brotherhood” or “sisterhood” that comes with training and playing with others. It’s part of what makes a team a team.

Although most speak metaphorically when referring to their teammates, at Legacy Charter, Nathaniel and Nicholas Rodriguez actually claim a literal brotherhood. 

“He helps in many ways, because he knows where I want to be on the floor,” said Nathaniel, 18, who plays as a combo guard for the Eagles. “He knows, ‘All right, this is where you need to score? I got you — I’m going to put you in the right spot.’ It helps in a big way.”

The feeling is mutual for Nicholas, who is entering his freshman year on the team.

“Honestly, it makes me more comfortable, because I know I’m with someone who knows what I like to do,” said Nicholas, 15, who plays at the point. “I know he’ll be a good leader to me and let me know what I have to do on the court.”

Although the team has only been in the gym for a month, the spark that Nicholas has provided for his brother — and vice-versa — has helped fuel a healthy competition between the two, especially in practice.

At the gym on Legacy’s campus the brothers push themselves to outdo each other. If Nathaniel gets a rebound, Nicholas needs to get two. If Nicholas hits a jump shot for two, Nathaniel needs to hit the three.

“He helps in many ways, because he knows where I want to be on the floor. He knows, ‘All right, this is where you need to score? I got you — I’m going to put you in the right spot.’ It helps in a big way.”

— Nathaniel Rodriguez

And that effort put into their game is something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by head coach Caio Santos and his staff. It’s something that has them excited for this new season.

“We give Nat the ball, and he is going to attack the rim hard and he is going to find the open guy, and you know if Nic has it, he can shoot it from deep, and he’s going to find the open guy and get people involved,” said Santos, who also coaches the brothers on his Heart N’ Hustle AAU squad. “And that’s the biggest thing, not being selfish. They know when to score, but they also know when to pass it and get their teammates involved.”

This actually isn’t the first time the Rodriguez family has had siblings on the Legacy basketball team. During Nathaniel’s freshman season, his brother Nelson — a senior — was a starter for the Eagles. You could call it a family tradition of sorts.

For the brothers, the ability to work together and push one another has paid off on the hardwood, as the two lead the team in a number of categories.

Through the Eagles’ five games, Nathaniel leads the team with 18.2 points per game, while Nicholas follows behind him with 9.8 points per game. 

When it comes to cleaning the glass, Nathaniel also leads the Eagles with 7.8 rebounds per game and 2.6 steals per game. Nicholas is averaging around 3.6 rebounds per game.

Seeing those numbers next to his name on MaxPreps is a two-pronged thing for Nathaniel: On one hand, it helps his team, and on the other, it makes him want to be better.

“I go out there thinking, ‘This is for my team, this is for my brothers out there,’ so I’m going to go out there and try to do what I have to do,” Nathaniel said. “Then when I look at it on my cell, I’m like, ‘Yo, this is fire — keep going, keep rolling, keep averaging these numbers to make it even higher.’”

And when Nathaniel starts lighting up the scoreboard, it also helps get Nicholas going into another gear.

“When I see him score, it just fires me up,” Nicholas said. “It’s like, ‘Oh, I got to get a bucket, too.’”

Although this is the one and only season the brothers will share the same basketball court at the high-school level, expect the two to take full advantage of that fact while they can.

As the freshman, Nicholas is hoping to help his team win a state title and get his stats right — he wants to average double digits and work on his defense. Meanwhile, for Nathaniel, it’s all about getting offers to continue his basketball career, while simultaneously enjoying the company of his brother.

“It’s just exciting for me to see him play with me,” Nathaniel said. “When he scores, there is an excitement that hits me, because it’s like, ‘That’s my little brother.’ It’s crazy. I didn’t think of it now, but once you actually hit the court, it’s actually crazy.”