RJ Eytle-Rock plays crucial role in comeback win
LOGAN — Teammates swarmed around RJ Eytle–Rock, dousing him with Gatorade bottles and cheering him on as he lit the A blue in the locker room after Utah State Men’s Basketball’s come–from–behind 75–66 victory over Nevada Saturday night.
Eytle–Rock was honored as the player of the game for his impact off the bench, where he scored 10 points and forced a crucial turnover in just 17 minutes on the court.
“My teammates are happy for me,” Eytle–Rock said after the game. “They know what I can contribute to the team. We’re celebrating in there — everyone’s jumping on me, happy for me. I can’t thank them enough.”
Eytle–Rock, a guard from England playing his fifth year of college basketball, has had to adjust to a new role this season. He went from starting 30 games last season to no starts this year, now playing just over 11 minutes per game as opposed to last season’s average of 24 minutes.
USU head coach Ryan Odom explained why that can be hard for players.
“RJ’s just a great individual to go through what he’s gone through,” Odom said. “You should’ve seen how happy everybody in our locker room was for him because they know he easily could’ve been a distraction for our team. Because when you go from starter to not playing, a lot of times, that’s what happens. And his character would never allow him to do that. Because he knows it’s not about him. And when you stay true to the team like he has, eventually it comes back to you, right? And tonight was one of those examples where he really stepped up for our team.”
Eytle–Rock’s shots, especially his two 3–pointers, came at important offensive moments. The first swished in when the Aggies trailed by 21 points, 30–9, and ended a three–minute scoring drought for USU midway through the first half. His second triple ended a near two–minute scoring drought and brought the deficit to 14 points, 37–23, with five minutes left before halftime.
In the second half, Utah State was down 54–49 with 14 minutes remaining when Eytle–Rock checked in. He drew a foul and hit both free throws to cut the deficit to four points, 55–51.
On Nevada’s ensuing possession, Eytle–Rock stole the ball from Nevada guard Jarod Lucas, and USU forward Dan Akin drew a foul to hit two free throws.
Two Utah State offensive possessions later, Eytle–Rock hit a jumper to tie the game at 57 midway through the second half. On USU’s next possession, guard Steven Ashworth drilled a 3–pointer to give the Aggies their first lead of the game, 60–59.
The game was arguably Eytle–Rock’s most important performance of the season, helping dig the Aggies out of a 21–point hole against a Quadrant 2 opponent.
“My guys were finding me today,” Eytle–Rock said. “They just want me to be confident, so I just try to take the right shots for them when they come to me.”
Odom explained that Eytle–Rock’s performance on Saturday was the “fruits of his work.”
“He’s gotten in better shape, and now he’s at a position where I’m putting him in there more and he’s delivering,” Odom said. “He can guard. He can make shots if you leave him open. He can drive to the basket and finish like you saw — that big shot he made going down the lane. He’s an important player for us and gives us some flexibility in ball handling and toughness.”
Eytle–Rock knew his hard work off the court would eventually pay off.
“I’m proud of myself for just sticking through it, sticking to it,” Eytle–Rock said. “I knew a game like that would come, but at the end of the day, it’s about wins. Just keep building down the stretch. I’m more happy about the win.”
After the game, Ashworth mentioned how he wasn’t surprised, since he knew Eytle–Rock was capable of that kind of game.
“For him to be able to shine in this moment, it’s not anything that we’re surprised about. It’s something that we expect,” Ashworth said. “For a lot of guys on this team, it’s just about having the right opportunity for them, and tonight was one of those times.”
Ashworth added that Eytle–Rock’s contribution to the team has largely come in the locker room and at practices.
“RJ’s been so elite for us from just the whole of what our culture stands for: being a team guy,” Ashworth said. “I can’t tell you how hard that must be, going through some of the things that he goes through. But every single day, he comes in with a positive attitude and a leadership that you would expect out of a guy who’s been playing college basketball for four or five years.”
Eytle–Rock’s 10 points also pushed him past the 1,000–point mark for his career. Ashworth asked him about it during the post–game press conference to bring the media’s attention to it.
“That’s pretty cool, man,” Eytle–Rock said. “Not everyone gets to do this, so it’s definitely special. Definitely something I’ll keep for the rest of my life.’
Eytle–Rock and the Aggies are back in action tonight at Wyoming at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Aggie Radio 92.3 FM.
Featured image by Paige Johnson from the Nevada home game.