Photo provided by Indiana Tech

Former Indiana Tech men’s basketball standout Rodney Bartholomew was selected by the Tulsa 66ers in the fifth round of the 2012 NBA D League draft this month. The 66ers are the affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Bartholomew, a two-time NAIA All-American and 2012 WHAC Player of the Year, led the Warriors to a 45-19 record during his two seasons at Tech and helped the program make its first NAIA DII National Championship tournament appearance since 2008.

The 6-8 forward from Port Sulphur, proved to be one of the nation’s elite big men posting 18 doubledoubles in 31 games, averaging 17.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per contest. He dominated on the boards, pulling down a conference best 354 rebounds, good enough for second in the country. He also ranked first in offensive rebounds per game (4.7), third in total rebounds per game (11.4), and ninth in defensive rebounds per game (6.7).

Not only was Bartholomew a force on the glass, but could score with the best of them. He tallied a teamhigh 544 points this season and ranked 12th in the nation in field goal percentage shooting at a .596 clip. In just two years, he amassed 989 points, just 11 shy
of reaching the 1,000 point plateau. He shattered the record for free throws made in a season at Indiana Tech knocking down 178-of-261 chances this year.

The previous mark was set in the 1988 season at 132. In addition to his offensive output, Bartholomew was also a tremendous defensive player landing among the conference leaders in blocks and steals. He was an integral part of a defensive that ranked second in the nation in scoring defense per game (59.3), ninth in field goal percent defense (.404), and 11th in total blocks (115).