On July 11, Olivia Rodrigues announced her commitment to play college basketball at Providence. It was a monumental day for the 6-foot 2025 wing from Dennis Port, Mass. — and it came earlier than expected.
Rodrigues, a NEPSAC AA All-Star at Tabor last season, had planned to officially visit Providence in August. The Friars were already leading her recruitment, but she wanted to make sure she didn't leave any potential offers on the table during the July live period.
Then Rodrigues started to see other talented players committing to Providence. First it was Maryland native Princess-Alexandria Moody announcing her choice that Tuesday, July 9. Then Virginia's Riley Hamburger committed the next day. Providence now had only two scholarship slots available, and likely only one for Rodrigues's position. She saw the talent pooling and decided to jump in.
"In seeing that, Princess Moody and Riley Hamburger, who are two very, very good players, also committed, it was just promising, just to know that I could be a part of that, and really change and make a big impact on the school," Rodrigues said.
Rodrigues's father, Matt, was with her that Wednesday, helping Rodrigues and the Bay State Jaguars prepare for the upcoming Run 4 The Roses Classic in Louisville. They talked about the news of the other commitments and knew she couldn't wait much longer to decide. Rodrigues called her older brother, Elijah, to run through the pros and cons of her top schools, also including Yale, Seton Hall and St. John's.
"It was 100 percent not planned," Matt said. "I mean, I know it wasn't planned from Providence's perspective. We spoke to them; they were like, 'This all just kind of happened quickly.' Liv was so excited that if she did finalize and make Providence her choice, she was excited to do it in-person. She really wanted to wait until [Aug. 1] when we got there, but we had to face reality that, with only one scholarship available in her position, there's a huge opportunity that we wouldn't have available."
Committing to Providence was a quick decision, but not a hasty one, because Rodrigues had done important work earlier in her recruiting process.
Providence offered her in spring 2023, and Rodrigues built an easy relationship with head coach Erin Batth and her staff. She used the resources around her for guidance. Matt and Rodrigues's mother, Tiffany, are both coaches. She has three older brothers, including Brycen Goodine, a former highly-touted prospect who went through a tumultuous college career, playing for Providence and Syracuse before finding his groove at Fairfield.
Rodrigues recalls having a meaningful heart-to-heart talk with Goodine last fall about finding the right college fit.
"[He was] just saying, 'Go where you know that you're wanted. Where you feel it, where you don't have to look over your shoulder, or you can relax, and even in your darkest times, you know that that coach is going to still go with you and ride with you, even when you're in a slump,'" Rodrigues said. "That was kind of something that he had to go through, and it was something that I got to watch. With him being at different schools and then from talking to different people, I was able to learn from, not his mistakes, but his experience as well."
Rodrigues learned the importance of asking every college coaching staff tough questions that mattered to her. She often asked coaches where they saw her fitting, how she compared to other players, and also how programs addressed players' mental health during a season. One of her favorite questions: How would a coach deal with a player in a 4-to-5-game slump?
"When you're playing great, everyone's gonna love you — your coaches, your teammates, people in the in the stands, your parents," she said. "You know who your people are when you have bad games. What they say to those players, what they're saying in practice, how are they helping them to get out, or are they just moving on to the next one? That's just how I thought of it."
Ultimately, Providence checked off several important boxes. The Friars play in a high-caliber Big East conference and they're close to home. When Rodrigues watched practices, she appreciated how Batth and the staff coached their players hard without degrading them. Rodrigues received insight from Nariah Scott (Holden, Mass.), a current Friar who also played for Tabor and the Jaguars, as well as incoming freshman Orlagh Gormley (Quincy, Mass.).
Rodrigues admits that she has struggled with self-doubt as a player. She feels grateful to make such a big decision, and to make it confidently.
"It's definitely very rewarding, and I think it's just a testament to the people that I've had around me," she said. "Growing up in a family with two coaches, two coaching parents and three older brothers, that are always going to push you and want you to do better and have people to compete with and learn from — I think I definitely got spoiled. Just because I was able to be fully immersed in basketball and learning, and just able to be a sponge my whole life."
More commitments from the Class of 2025 are flowing in. Here are some big names who have made decisions this month.
- Rodrigues wasn't alone in seizing a Providence spot. Ashley Dinges (Haverhill, Mass.) publicly committed to the Friars on Wednesday. Dinges, a powerful 6-foot forward, has won two NEPSAC titles with Nobles and is currently helping MCW Starz battle for a title at the Select Events national championships.
- Jasmyn Cooper, a 6-foot-1 forward from Easton, Mass., announced her commitment to Syracuse on July 7. Cooper is ranked 54th nationally by ESPN and second among New England players. She's the reigning Independent School League Player of the Year, a back-to-back NEPSAC champion at Nobles and a former MIAA state champion at Oliver Ames. Cooper is teammates with Dinges on both Nobles and MCW Starz. She joins St. Luke's guard Cam Nelson (Greenwich, Conn.) in Syracuse's 2025-26 recruiting class.
- Grace O'Sullivan (Acton, Mass.), another teammate on MCW Starz, committed to Princeton on Tuesday. The 5-foot-11 wing is one of the top returners on a contending Rivers squad after averaging 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks last season.
- Syracuse, N.Y. native Aniyah Neal, who competes for Loomis Chaffee and iDream AAU, committed to Quinnipiac on July 5.
- Kate Lipatova, a 6-foot-3 center from Russia who plays for Putnam Science and Mass Rivals, announced her commitment to Penn on July 2.
