Even if not as a full-blown doppelgänger, Suzie Rhodes might still forever be remembered as an Austin Powers-esque 'mini-me'-her listed height varies from 5'2" to 5'5"-of her predecessor at Bayfield High School.
But just as she was able to establish her own identity in taking over for 5'9" Gabriella Rifilato, the Wolverines' latest super setter will now have the chance at replacing another talented distributor when her game takes flight on wings of eagles-the Laramie County Community College Golden Eagles.
"I definitely thought I'd get the chance; there were colleges looking at me," Rhodes said. "But I couldn't have.without my coaches, Terene and Kelley."
Daughter of Carl and Karin, Rhodes officially inked her Letter-of-Intent to attend and play for the Cheyenne, Wyo. school at a ceremony last Thursday inside the BHS Cafetorium.
"She's ready to quarterback at the next level, and we are all incredibly proud of her," BHS Head Coach Terene Foutz said via e-mail to the Times. "Suzie Rhodes.commanded a high-octane offense for Bayfield for the past three years. She's a very intelligent athlete, unafraid of competition."
Laramie had a 25-15 overall record in 2014 and a fourth place finish in the Region IX-North Tournament.
"A crazy ride to get here!" explained Rhodes. "The head coach actually watched me play my sophomore year, when he was an assistant at Sheridan [College in Sheridan, Wyo.]," she said of Head Coach Austin Albers. "I e-mailed him in October and he was like, 'I've actually seen you!' So that's kind of how it got started."
"I e-mailed him again after turning down a scholarship there-I'd e-mailed him back in January-and they were very excited to hear that I was still thinking about coming."
"Suzie is a great competitor and has experience orchestrating an offense for a very successful high school program. She has been well-coached and brings a lot to the table," Albers said in an e-mail.
"I'm really happy about it," said Rhodes, the 3A Intermountain League's 2013 Player-of-the-Year and a First Team All-IML pick in '14. "Playing in college was a dream of mine since I started playing, so it's.cool.to get to go on and continue."
