Charles Rhodes, the new boys basketball coach at Washington School, has always looked forward in his long and distinguished career in the game. Rhodes, 39, said he doesn’t reminisce too much about his past, whether it be the four years he starred for the Mississippi State Bulldogs or his 15-year professional career that saw him play all over the world in 11 countries, winning three championships along the way.
“I have a lot of accolades,” he said. “I really can’t remember most of them. I have been playing the game for a long time. I just don’t remember all of them. I honestly don’t really care about them anymore. I want to leave that life alone and I am on to the next one. I have always been that type of person.”
Now, Rhodes is totally focused on his next stop in his basketball career as he takes over control of the Washington School program. Rhodes finished his professional basketball career in 2023 in Saudi Arabia. He spent last basketball season an assistant coach for Hartfiled Academy in Flowood. He said he is thankful to Washington School Head of School Chris Chaffinch and athletic director Hunter Palasini for giving him his first job as a head varsity head coach. Rhodes takes over the program from Coach David Rounsavall who, for 14 years, volunteered his time to lead the the Generals to much success.
“I wanted to come to Washington School,” Rhodes said. “I applied for a few jobs but this is the one that felt like home to me. I have a lot of family that is here. It is going to be a lot of work. That is what I am all about is hard work. I heard the kids are hard workers but they are athletes that play soccer, football and baseball too. I like that. It is going to be a building process. I am here to build.”
At 6-feet-9 inches tall, Rhodes still looks like he could play professional basketball. And, after he recovers from a recent wrist injury, he plans on showing his new players that he still has plenty of skills.
“I got like six more weeks of physical therapy and once I get better I am playing with the guys during practice for sure. I am going to show them something. It will be like when I was at Mississippi State. The assistant coaches used to play with us. When coaches play with you, they are still coaching you at the same time. I am not saying I am going to play with the kids every day. It is just going to be when we do things like open gym and scrimmages.”
Rhodes was raised in Scott County in Forrest, Miss. He played at Forrest High School and Lanier High School. He was a self-made player.
“I taught myself how to play basketball. The ball was never in my crib. Nobody ever taught me. I learned basketball by myself, practicing, practicing, practicing. I started out as a terrible player. Nobody in my family ever played basketball at a high level. It was all me, grinding, grinding, grinding and I made myself into a basketball player.”
After high school, Rhodes was heavily recruited by national programs like Oklahoma, Alabama and Arkansas; however, he said he was born to be a Bulldog.
Rhodes graduated from Mississippi State University in 2008. He was a player captain and a three-time ALL-SEC player. He still holds the Bulldog record for most points in an NCAA tournament and most dunks in a career by an MSU player.
“I was born to be a Bulldog. My father loved the Bulldogs. I was in Bulldog gear when I was five months old. I was always destined to be a Bulldog. I love Mississippi State to the core. You can’t put into words how much Mississippi State means to me. They got me on a big picture on a practice court, so the love they have for me, I have for them too.”
After his college career, Rhodes played for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA during the preseason, but surgery on his ankle set back his pro career. He said he never looks back on what might have been and is thankful for his long international career. Countries Rhodes played in include Turkey, Spain, Saudi Arabia. Dubai and Latvia, along with a number of Asia countries.
“Where I come from, I wasn’t supposed to be playing professional basketball at all. I got everywhere I got from hard work. I am a grinder. My family members are grinders. So, that is how I was. Me not making it all the way to the NBA doesn’t faze me at all.”
Rhodes added that his time playing in so many foreign places gives him a unique aspect on life.
“I learned everything being around different coaches, different locker rooms and different cultures. I learned all types of basketball so there is no type of basketball that I have not seen before. It really molded me into the coach I am now and the coach I am going to become. I didn’t get to experience too much of the countries I visited because it was all business. If you have one bad game, your job is on the line for the next game so you have to be locked in and focused so that is how I was.”
His last stop as a professional was in Saudi Arabia, which he described as not ideal for a son of the state of Mississippi.
“Saudi Arabia was different. There were so many rules. I am a coffee drinker and they have so many rules that you can’t drive and drink or eat anything. You can’t even eat a Snickers. They had cameras all over the country so I had to pay like $2500 of fines when I left the country for drinking coffee on my way to practice.”
