The 23-year-old guard attends college in the Philippines but returned home to Dunedin when the Covid-19 pandemic made normal life impossible.
He ended up doing a double stint in lockdown. Rodger had to self-isolate when he returned from the Philippines. Then just as that period was nearing the end the country went into national lockdown.
But there has been an unexpected prize for all that patience.
The Nuggets have emerged from a six-year-long hibernation and will contest a revamped league this season.
Rodger is hoping he will receive an opportunity to add to the two appearances he made for the franchise in 2014 when he was still at Kavanagh College. But first he has to be drafted.
The Nuggets have been awarded the first pick but that slot will go to a player such as Jordan Ngatai or Jarrod Kenny.
Rodger is chasing one of the amateur slots further down the roster.
‘‘Fingers crossed, I get picked. But if I do I’ll be one of the lower picks,’’ he said.
‘‘It would be pretty cool to get the opportunity to play for them again. It is pretty unexpected with the Nuggets coming back.’’
Rodger has had several stints in the league. He played for the Canterbury Rams in 2015 and joined the Taranaki Mountainairs in 2018.
But the Nuggets are his home team and he would like to link back up with some of his team-mates from 2013 who helped deliver Otago the under-17 national title.
