Metairie, La. — “It’s a dream come true,” said Pelicans guard Roddy Peters. “All year I watched the Pelicans and my coaches were talking to them. I wanted the opportunity from them and I got it.”
Roddy Peters is an undrafted guard out of Nicholls State University, which is only an hour from New Orleans. Being so close in proximity made it easy for him to keep tabs on the team.
“I always told my coaches you know, ‘Make sure you talk to the Pelicans’ and things like that,” Peters said. “I liked them and I watched them all year and went to the games. I was just hoping that they would call. Actually I was living out here working out with this guy named Marcell Scott so when they called, I was here right away and it just worked-out perfect for me.”
Peters has had quite the journey to get to this point.. He’s originally from Maryland, rated as a 5-star prospect and the 19th-ranked player in the nation coming-out of high school. He played his freshman season at the University of Maryland, sat out a year after deciding to transfer to South Florida, then sat out another season after deciding to ultimately land in Thibodaux at Nicholls State.
“I transferred three schools so I know I’ve been through a lot and it would have been hard for me to get drafted,” Peters said. “But I just wanted one shot. Through the process it was hard getting me a shot. I started-off at Maryland and I think I wasn’t a good outside shooter. At South Florida I broke my foot so when I got to Nicholls, I just wanted to show everyone that I could still play. That I can get up in the open court, I didn’t lose my athletic ability, and that I can actually be a real good point guard. I think I proved that at Nicholls and coming in here I just wanted to push the tempo and show them that I can make outside shots and use my length to be a good defender.”
Now it’s a matter of proving himself on the court during summer league and seeing where it goes from here.
“Now that I’m here I’m just soaking in everything that I can from the guys that have been here and even the other players who have had multiple workouts and things like that,” Peters said. “I’m just soaking it all in. I’m just blessed to be here.”
So far in two games he’s played in summer league, Peters has played 8 minutes, scored 4 points– going 2 for 2 from the floor– and pulled-down one rebound.