Eighth-grader Pierre Rondo made his state tournament debut last week for North Oldham. He’s in his second season on North Oldham’s varsity team and averaged 14 points and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 38 percent from 3-point range.
His father is former UK player and NBA star Rajon Rondo, who won NBA championships in 2008 with Boston and 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers. He played two years at UK for coach Tubby Smith and was the 21st overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. He led the league in assists three times and steals once. His 32 regular season triple-doubles rank 16th in NBA history.
“He’s an eighth-grader, but he’s actually one of our leaders,” North Oldham coach David Levitch said. “He’s so good on the court, but he’s vocal as well. He’s way beyond his years.”
Lyon County coach Ryan Perry’s son, Travis, played for him in the eighth grade and went on to become the state’s all-time leading high school scorer. He just completed his sophomore season at Mississippi after playing at UK for one year.
“I think he is really good,” the Lyon coach said about Rondo after losing to North Oldham. “Obviously he gets a lot of attention from other teams just like we (Travis) did, but he seems to handle it very well. He plays more mature than his years. He has a good presence on the court. He does not really panic.”
Rondo went 4-for-6 from 3-point range against Lyon to finish with 25 points. He also had seven assists and four rebounds in 30 1/2 minutes of play.
“He is very shifty, a willing passer and has a high basketball IQ. That kid is going to be really good and has a chance to be really, really good. He’s not as quick as dad yet but he might be. He is a handful to handle now. He knows how to play and obviously has been well coached from an early age. He’s just a very impressive player.”
Levitch calls Rondo a “natural point guard” who has worked to improve his 3-point shot and is now almost a 40 percent shooter from 3.
“If you need him to score 24 points in a game, he can do it,” Levitch said. “If you need him to have nine assists in a game, he can do it. When you watch him against teams that press us, he never gets sped up. It just comes so easy to him.”
Bardstown High School coach James “Boo” Brewer, a former Louisville player, watched Rondo play at the state tournament.
“I see a young man that has a bright, bright future. I know that’s a big statement, but the way that he’s playing, the way that he’s talking to his teammates, he is special,” Brewer said. “He’s a great teammate, but he’s a great leader. He also plays with so much voice, and plays with so much confidence. He’s fun to watch.”
Rondo was double teamed almost every time he had the ball in a state quarterfinal win over Butler but still finished with 14 points on only seven shots along with five assists and two rebounds.
“He’s a more physical kid than what I thought. As a coach, you look at his long arms and you know he’s got big hands (because his father did),” Brewer said. “He’s gonna grow some more, but his poise and the way that he runs the team and sees the floor really is fun to watch.
“He’s an eighth grader, so hopefully we can keep him here (in Kentucky) another four years (and not a prep school), but I don’t see him staying here for four years just because he’s phenomenal and is going to have a lot of opportunities to play a lot of places if that’s what he wants to do.”
In a 53-45 semifinal loss to George Rogers Clark Rondo had 22 points on 8-for-16 shooting with five 3-pointers, three assists and two rebounds.
Madison Central beat North Oldham midway of the season and limited Rondo to one field goal and six points. However, Madison Central coach Allen Feldhaus said Rondo looked like a totally different player in the state tourney than he did in early January.
“He has such a good feel for the game and will only get better. He still struggles with bigger, stronger people on him but he is shooting it really well,” Feldhaus said. “His upside is incredible. His poise is so good. He is going to be a great, great player. It’s already hard to stay in front of him and it’s only going to get tougher and tougher.”
Rondo’s father was hard to contain, too, but was never the type of 3-point shooter his son already seems to be. The elder Rondo was also never the talker his 14-year-old son already is based on his state tournament interactions and what his coach said.
“I would say I don’t really have his personality,” Rondo said about his dad. “He’s chill, doesn’t really talk a lot, doesn’t show a lot of emotion. I feel like I’m the opposite, I’d probably say I get it from my mom.”
Levitch verified that his young player was a talker.
“He never stops talking. Ever, at any point of the day. The only person you hear on the bus is his voice,” the North Oldham coach said.
