Rodney Adams "Rod" Fletcher is an American former basketball player for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...

 who was named a consensus First Team NCAA All-American

1952 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

The Consensus 1952 College Basketball All-American team, as determined by aggregating the results of five major All-American teams. To earn "consensus" status, a player must win honors from a majority of the following teams: the Associated Press, Look Magazine, The United Press International,...

 as a senior in 1951–52

1951–52 NCAA men's basketball season

-Harlem Globetrotters vs. Seattle University:On January 21, 1952, the Harlem Globetrotters played Seattle in a game designed to raise funds for the United States Olympic efforts. Five days before the game was held, Royal Brougham received a call from Howard Hobson, who was the Yale basketball coach...

. A guard, Fletcher led the Fighting Illini

Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball

The Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at Assembly Hall, located on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's campus in Champaign....

 to two straight Big Ten Conference

Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

 championships as well as two consecutive NCAA Tournament Final Four appearances in 1951 and 1952 alongside teammate John "Red" Kerr

Johnny Kerr

John G. “Red” Kerr was an American basketball player, coach, and color commentator. He played in the NBA from 1954 to 1966, mainly as a member of the Syracuse Nationals...

. He was a two-time All-Big Ten selection in his three varsity seasons, and at the end of his collegiate career Fletcher was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1952 NBA Draft

1952 NBA Draft

The 1952 NBA Draft was the sixth annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on April 26, 1952 before the 1952–53 season. In this draft, ten remaining NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players...

, although he never played professionally.

Fletcher grew up in Champaign, Illinois

Champaign, Illinois

Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...

 and attended Champaign Central High School

Champaign Central High School

Champaign Central High School is a high school located in Champaign, Illinois. It has 1,385 students in grades 9-12. The principal is Joe Williams. It is part of the Champaign Unit 4 School District school system. Its sports teams are the Central Maroons....

, where he was named second team all-state as a senior in 1948 by the Champaign News Gazette.

See also

• 1950–51 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
• 1951–52 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team