Former N.C. State star Rodney Monroe new coach at Southlake Christian

Former N.C. State basketball standout Rodney Monroe is the new boys basketball coach at SouthLake Christian School in Huntersville. His first day is June 1.

The 17-year-old school, situated on a 19-acre campus, is part of the SouthLake Presbyterian Church. It’s a TK-12 school that had about 800 enrolled students in the 2009-2010 school year. Tuition for high school students is about $9,000 annually.

Monroe, 43, was ACC player of the year in 1991, when he averaged 27 points per game and broke David Thompson’s school scoring record. He was the first N.C.State player to win player of since Thompson won from 1973-75.

Monroe is fifth all-time in scoring in the ACC with 2,551 points. Selected as one of the ACC’s top 50 players of all time, Monroe was drafted by Atlanta in the second round of the 1991 NBA draft. He played one season and played in Europe for 13 seasons. He was most recently head boys basketball coach at Lake Norman Christian.

“The game of basketball isn’t just about the x’s and o’s and making baskets,” said Monroe. “For me, you’re teaching young men how to win and how to lose, to understand that every time they go out on the court or go into the community, people are watching them. I want them to be young men worthy of wearing the SouthLake emblem on their jerseys as they represent Christ on and off the courts.”